Mending Time
by Darkstar248
Summary: About more than two years have passed since the final Splatfest. Callie has quit as a Squid Sister and Marie is now a lone popstar. Callie, however, has moved to a different city and started a different life. But one day she finds someone who has left Inkopolis for similar reasons as her. This is my first fanfic for this site. Rating changed to T. Might change back to M.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"And as always Inkopolis...Stay Fresh!" A white tentacled inkling said to the camera while striking her signature pose.

"And cut. Nicely done as always, Marie." The cameraman gave her a thumbs up.

"Whatever." Marie walked over and sat down in one of the only two chairs in the recording studio. She grabbed the cup of coffee that was sitting on the table and took a sip from it, yawning before she did so. "It's too early in the morning for this."

The cameraman was just finishing packing up the camera equipment they had used and started walking toward the wall. "I can't believe this is the last time we are recording in this studio. Tomorrow we'll be situated in a new studio in Inkopolis Square. Isn't that great?!" He looked towards the Squid Sister, realizing she wasn't really paying attention. "Well, I'll leave you alone now. See ya." He pushed against a specific part of the wall, revealing that it was instead a hidden door, which would explain how people get inside that studio.

Marie sat alone in silence for a while, the silence only being broken by her fingers tapping on the table next to her. She got up and walked toward the large window that took up a whole wall of the small square studio she was sitting in. Looking out of it she could see the morning sun rise and could see at least two inklings walking around in Inkopolis Plaza. But due to the walkway outside of said window her vision was slightly limited, so she didn't know if there were more out of her view. She looked across at the now closed shops, which have changed location to Inkopolis Square, the new freshest place in the city. Looking to the right she saw the big face of the Great Zapfish looking back at her. Marie thought to herself, 'It may not be used for Turf Wars anymore, but Inkopolis Tower is still where the zapfish belongs.' She went back to her seat, taking another sip of coffee and looking at the empty chair across from her at the table, letting out a sad sigh.

About an hour passed before the hidden door opened again and a figure stepped through it. "Hey Marie. How are you doing?" An orange tentacled, slightly tan inkling walked in wearing a pair of Red Hi-Tops, a Mint Tee shirt, and a pair of fake contacts.

"Hey Agent 3." Marie waved to the inkling boy. "Who let you in?" She giggled a bit.

"Ha ha, very funny. But seriously, why do you always call me that? Just call me Jack." He walked up to the empty chair. "Um, may I sit here?"

"I guess." She yawned while stretching.

"So…" Jack sat down and pulled the chair closer to the table. "You excited about the show moving to a new studio?"

"Yeah…"

"Hey, you okay?" He looked at her, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'm fine." She looked back at him.

"No you're not. I can hear the sadness in your voice. And I know what's bugging you. I miss her too."

"It's been about two years since she quit." Marie pulled out her phone and opened to the main screen, the background image a picture of her, Jack, and a long black tentacled inkling girl wearing an outfit similar to her own.

"Look Marie, Callie quit as a Squid Sister for a reason. We may not know why, but she must have had a reason."

"I know that. But did she have to leave Inkopolis as well?" Marie looked at Jack, awaiting an answer.

"I don't know. Maybe she did it to escape any paparazzi or interviewers who would question why she quit. I probably would have done the same thing." He looked at his phone to check the time. "Welp, it's about 8:30 now. I'm going to go get some breakfast. You want to come with?"

"Sure, just let me go get changed real quick. Can't go out in public wearing my stage outfit, can I?" She got up and followed him out the door. They both walked down a hall before stopping at another door with Marie's name on it. She opened it and was about to walk in when Jack spoke up.

"Listen Marie. We both know Callie left for a reason. Let's just hope that she's happy."

"I know." She walked into her dressing room and closed the door. "I just hope she's doing okay."

About two cities away from Inkopolis, past the city of Potwell and the town of Quilden, in a city known as Carti Ridge, an alarm clock was buzzing until a hand pressed the snooze button. A female inkling rose from under the covers and stretched, letting out a yawn as she did so. She swung around to the side of the bed and stood up, her long black tentacle hair slightly touching the floor as she did so. She grabbed the digital clock and turned the alarm off completely before going into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror, a pair of golden eyes staring back at her. "Yet another day." She was about to take off her pajamas to step into the shower when she heard her phone ring. She walked over to the nightstand next to her bed and grabbed the phone off of it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Jewel! You have a good night sleep? Listen, we just got some new outfits in that we thought you could model for us. Can you come in today?" A female voice said from the phone.

"Um, yeah. Sure. I can come for a photoshoot today."

"That's what I love to hear. Glad our best model is coming in today. Thanks and I'll see you here."

"Okay, see ya." She hung up and walked back into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror again and sighed. "Like I said, yet another day. Alright, Callie. Get in the shower and get ready for the day. And I'm talking to myself yet again." She closed the bathroom door and all that could be heard after that was the sound of a shower running, with the accompanying sound of her singing.

 **Author's Note: Okay, first fanfic. Let me now what you think of it. Anyway, I need to say a few things. First, the update time. Expect this story to be updated randomly. It could be updated in a week, a day, a month, etc. However, I refuse to allow this story to end up incomplete. I WILL finish it. I don't care if no one reviews or if it gets hardly any readers. It will be completed. Another thing, go ahead and leave a review if you want, but please be kind with them. And if you are going to criticize this story then please say something you like about it first, then say what you didn't like. Okay Anyway, enjoy the story and expect an update soon. I already have the next chapter written, but I want to get more written first.**


	2. Chapter 1: A good day turns bad

Chapter 1: A good day goes bad

 **Disclaimer: AH CRAP, I forgot to say this in the prologue. I do not own Callie, Marie, or the Splatoon universe. Those belong to Nintendo. I do however own my OC, who will appear in the next chapter.**

 **I hope I did that disclaimer correctly. Anyway, on with the chapter.**

Callie had just finished getting ready for the day and had stepped out of the apartment complex wearing a pair of jeans and a black tee shirt with short pink sleeves. However her usual golden stare was replaced by a pair of green eyes. Probably not wanting anyone to notice who she really is she had put on a pair of contacts that changed her eye color. She noticed that a taxi was already waiting for her and thought, 'Right on time as usual.' She waved to the taxi driver. "Morning Jim!"

Jim, a middle-aged sea urchin wearing a plain pair of jeans and a white tee, was standing next to the cab. "Morning Jewel." He opened the taxi door for her. "Off to work, right?"

"Yep. Thanks for answering my call." She placed her purple purse on the seat next to her and buckled up. She patiently waited for Jim to get in the driver's seat and they soon took off. It only took five seconds for Jim to start up some small talk.

"So I got to ask, why do you always call a cab, Jewel? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Because I still don't have my license. It's not my fault those tests are near impossible." She got a slightly annoyed look on her face.

"Well, it all depends on who teaches you how to drive. Heck, I could teach you if you want."

"That's okay. Thanks for offering though." The cab had slowed to a stop at a red traffic light. Callie looked out the left window and saw the strangest vehicle she had ever seen. It looked like it was built from pipes and metal found in a scrapyard, but looked fortified like an armored tank except without the treads. The wheels were attached to the vehicle by pipes and other pieces of assorted metal. There looked to be only two sitting locations. The driver's seat was situated at the front of the main body, while the second seat was at the top of the vehicle. And at the back of the vehicle the engine could be seen.

"Hey Jim. What kind of car is that?" Callie pointed toward the armored vehicle.

Jim looked at where she was pointing and noticed the car. "Oh, that? I don't know, Jewel. It's the only one I've ever seen, but it's been in this city since about one and a half years ago. It just showed up one day. I don't know who drives it, but honestly I'm a bit scared to ask. I mean, how are they allowed to drive that thing? It looks like a hazard."

"Who knows? But that thing's been around for nearly two years? How come I've never noticed it?"

"Well, it is the only car in this city that looks like that. And it usually shows up later in the day. This is the first time I'm seeing it in the morning."

The light had finally turned green and the armored vehicle had gone left while the taxi had gone straight. Callie sat and pondered for a moment until the taxi came to a stop. She noticed that they had reached her destination.

"Thanks Jim. I guess I'll see you later today." She grabbed her purse and paid Jim what she owed him. She stepped out of the cab and walked up to the front door of the model company Biolumin-Essense. 'Our clothing will light up your world.' Callie remembered that's what their slogan was. She thought it was kind of cheesy, but she just went with it. She walked up to the front desk and told the receptionist that she was here for the photo shoot. The receptionist looked up and smiled.

"Hello…? You look… um, familiar..." The reception girl replied.

"I get that a lot. Are you new here? My name is Jewel." Callie waved at her.

"Yes, I am new. I'm Annabelle. OH! But that's not important. Madam Renay is looking for you. I'll page her right away. There is an elevator over there. She's on the 25th floor."

"I've been coming to this same place for photo shoots for about two years, Annabelle. I already know my way around. But thanks anyway. You are doing a great job."

"Ah, I see… Sorry."

"Don't be. You're just doing your job. I understand that."

"Well see you later… if I don't get fired first."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You did what you were supposed to do. They won't fire you." Callie gave her a reassuring smile before heading toward the elevator. "See you later."

"Bye…" Anabelle plops back down and rubs her arm.

Callie pressed the button to call the elevator and waited patiently. When it arrived she got on and pressed the button for the 25th floor. When no one else entered the elevator the doors closed and she could feel it move upward. The ride took a bit longer than it could have due to someone calling the elevator from another floor, but it eventually stopped at 25, which is when Callie got off. She walked down a hallway towards a door labeled Studio. She knocked on it and heard someone yell, "Come in!" She opened the door and was greeted by an anemone wearing a long flowing blue dress and a green and blue striped scarf.

"JEWEL! I'm so glad you could come in today." She walked up and gave Callie a hug. "I didn't interrupt any of your plans, did I?"

"Hi Renay. No, I wasn't doing anything today." She returned the hug and noticed an eye staring back at her from Renay's hair. "Hi Sanz. You doing okay?"

A small clownfish slowly poked it's head out of Renay's hair. "H-hi, Jewel. I-I'm fine."

"So…" Callie broke off the hug. "What did you want me to model for you?"

"I have five outfits I want you to model for us, okay?" She walked over to a wardrobe and opened it up. She pulled out a teal rain drop print tee shirt. "This is the first one."

Callie nodded. "Alright."

Renay put the shirt back and pulled out a pink ribbon dress. "Then this one."

"Okay."

She took out a green vest made from scales. "This is the third."

Callie gave her a thumbs up. "Gotcha."

Renay then pulled out a light blue shiny skirt. "Then I want you to model this."

Callie gave a quick unsure look at the outfit. "Um...okay." 'At least it's just a skirt.' She thought as a smile returned to her face. However it quickly faded when Renay pulled out the final outfit from the wardrobe.

"And this is the final outfit." She was holding up an outfit that was an almost exact replica of one of the Squid Sister outfits. More specifically, Marie's. The only differences were that it was white instead of green and there was a light glow coming from the "cuts," as though there were lights in the outfit. A look of anger appeared on Callie's face.

"I'll model the first four outfits, but you get someone else to do the fifth." She folded her arms.

"What? But this is the outfit of-" She was cut off by the angry ex-squid sister.

"I know who's outfit it is based on. I don't want to model it."

Renay saw the look on Callie's face and instantly knew there was no way to win this argument. "Okay. Okay. I'll get someone else to model it." She looked behind her at her secretary. "Get Anita on the phone. Tell her we need her to model an outfit." Her secretary nodded and pulled out her squid phone.

Callie cringed at hearing that name. She also saw Sanz quickly hide in Renay's hair when the name "Anita" was said. "She can model that outfit all she wants. As long as I don't run into her today."

"She's on her way, Madam Renay." The secretary said putting her phone away.

"Dammit." Callie quietly said to herself. "Let's just get this photo shoot done and over with, okay?"

Renay perked up. "Wonderful! Alright everyone! Get everything set up. Sam, get those lights into place. Zack, get ready with the camera. And Jewel…" Callie turned to face her before getting the outfits shoved into her hands. "Take these to the changing room and put on the Rain Drop tee. We're doing that one first."

"Okay." She walked out the door and headed for the changing room.

About an hour later Callie had finished up with the photo shoot and was stepping off the elevator into the main lobby when she heard the voice she didn't want to hear today.

"YOU CALL THAT AN ALGAE SMOOTHIE WITH LEMON?!" A angry voice screamed.

"No! No! I-I-I swear I a-asked for it j-j-just that way you s-s-said." Annabelle's voice was cracking, "I'll go fix right now!"

'Oh boy, Miss Bitch is here. And Annabelle has just met her.' Callie looked toward the front desk and saw Anabelle scrambling toward the exit.

"YOU BETTER GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME!"

"Hey Annabelle, wait!" Callie yelled and ran toward her. "Don't listen to Anita! She's not your boss!"

"O-oh, hi Jewel…" Annabelle stopped, "But she will tell the boss to fire me…"

"No she won't." She glared at Anita. "Bitch there doesn't have the guts to do it. Besides, I'll vouch for you. I'll make sure you don't get fired."

"I'll have you know the reason she is here is because I got rid of the other 3." Anita scoffed.

Callie could see Annabelle's eyes begin to water. She turned to Anita with a look of anger. "She's new here, you prissy bitch. Leave her alone."

"Hey… it's okay Jewel. I don't want any trouble. I'll go fix this and come back…. Do you want anything?"

"No, don't get me anything. You really don't have to do what she says. It's not part of your job." She gave Ana a quick hug.

"It's fine… I'll see you later…" She sadly walked away

Callie watched her walk out the building before glaring at Anita. "Way to make a great first impression on the new receptionist, Anita."

"Whatever…" Anita crossed her arms. "They need to know their place."

"My cod, you are such a prissy whore. Leave Ana alone next time."

"I'm a whore? You are the one surrounded by males."

Callie gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act stupid… You are always in the spotlight. All those males swarming you…Maybe you mated with all of them. SO DON'T CALL ME A WHORE!"

Callie folded her arms. "At least I don't brag about my modeling career and go walk around the city in clothing that just screams 'look at me.' Unlike you I don't need to show skin to get a guy's attention."

"Humph, you are standing in my way. Move it" She bumped into her and walked away.

"Ugh, bitch." Callie headed for the exit. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Jim's number. She pressed the call button and patiently waited until he picked up.

"Hey Jewel. You done with work?"

"Yeah. I need a ride home, though. You don't mind, do you?"

"Nah. Same place where I dropped you off?"

"Yep. See you in a bit." She hung up and sat down on a nearby bench. She checked her phone and saw that it was about 8:00 PM. She waited about ten minutes before she saw Jim pull up. She got up and walked over to the cab, opening the door and sitting down. "Thanks Jim."

"Hey, no problem, Jewel. Anything for you." He got back on the street and started driving. "So, anything happen at work?"

"I met the new receptionist. She's young but she wants to do her best. However she met Anita today as well."

"Ah, the high and mighty ass. What did she do?"

"She sent Annabelle, the new receptionist, out the building crying all because she didn't give her the right Algae smoothie. That bitch needs to learn that receptionists aren't the same as secretaries. Agh!" She looked out the window just in time to see the street they usually take was closed off. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Sorry, but we need to take a detour for a while. They're closing off the usual route due to a concert thing going on."

"A concert? Really?" Callie's eyes lit up for a split second. "Wait, who's coming to Carti Ridge to do a concert?"

"Well, since this city is one of the only places besides Inkopolis where Turf Wars is a big deal-"

"Wait, this city has Turf Wars?" Callie interrupted him. "Sorry for interrupting."

"It's okay. But yeah, it's not as popular as it is in Inkopolis, but that's because not everyone here knows about it. It's more well known in the less company oriented parts of the city. More well known in the neighborhood areas. But that's why they invited Inkopolis's biggest star here. To help promote this city's turf wars to the rest of the city."

"Wait, you don't mean…?"

"Yep! The Squid Sister Marie is coming here! Isn't that exciting?"

Callie replied in a sarcastic tone, "Yeah, that sounds fantastic." In her head she was screaming at the top of her lungs, 'DAAAAMMMMMIIIIIITTTTTT!'

"Yeah, but I just hope she doesn't find the turf wars here appalling. Unlike in Inkopolis the Turf Wars here are more...violent."

"*sigh* Great." She looked out the window again and saw that they were going down a road that was new to her. She looked ahead and saw what looked like a restaurant. "Change of plans Jim, drop me off there."

"Okay. Why?"

"I haven't had dinner tonight and I don't feel like cooking." The cab came to a stop and she hopped out.

"Are you sure about this place. It's been here since this city's Turf Wars started. I could take you someplace else?"

Callie opened her purse and pulled out the amount of money she owed him. "I'll be fine, Jim. Just be ready to come pick me up."

"Okay, Jewel. If you say so." He took the cash and looked back at her. "Be careful, okay?"

"Okay. See ya Jim." She saw him nod and he drove away. She turned back to the restaurant and walked toward the door. "I could really go for a catfish burger." She walked inside and the door closed behind her. Ten minutes later, however, a strange yet familiar vehicle pulled up in the parking lot.

 **Author's Note: Okay, a few thanks need to be said. Thanks to all the viewers I've had so far. Hopefully you decide to keep on reading. Thank you Dreadangel for leaving a review. You are awesome. And thanks to Apikachua for helping me write this fic and for taking the role of Anabelle and Anita. Now here's a few things that I need to say.**

 **The car that I tried to describe is actually an Outrunner from the Borderlands games. I tried to describe it in words as best as I could. And (spoiler alert) yes, that car does belong to my OC. I do not own the car, however. It belongs to Borderlands and the creators of said game.**


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting someone strange

Chapter 2: Meeting someone strange

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. It belongs to Nintendo. Am I doing this disclaimer right?**

Callie entered the restaurant and noticed the style it was in. It was a classy restaurant. There was many booths for customers, as well as a nice bar in the back. The lighting was rather dim.

Callie looked around and noticed the place was empty. No one else was there. She noticed only one employee currently working at the bar. 'Well, the sign said open.' She walked up and the employee turned to her. He was a dark tan inkling with yellow eyes and orange tentacles. He was wearing a black button down shirt, black long pants, and a white black waist apron.

"You came earlier than you sai-...Oh, nevermind. You're not...Ahem. Nevermind. Hello, ma'am."

"Hey. I was wondering are you still serving food at this time or is it just the bar that is open?"

"Oh no, we're still serving food. We have a chef here until 10:00. After that the kitchen closes."

"Good. I didn't feel like cooking tonight." She took a seat on one of the stools. The bartender grabbed a menu and placed it in front of her. She took it and opened it up.

"Well, guess I should get the greeting out of the way. Sorry, I'm not used to serving people this late. Hello, my name is Chase and I'll be your waiter tonight."

Callie skimmed through the menu until she came across what she was looking for. "Oh, you do serve it. Great. I'll have a glass of water as my beverage, and for the meal may I have a Catfish Burger, please? Oh but without onions and lettuce."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"And the side of fries, please. And that would be it." Callie gave him the menu back.

"Great, it will be right out," Chase took it and walked off toward the kitchen.

Callie sat there for about five minutes when Chase came out and turned on the television up in the corner of the bar. He started flipping through multiple channels until the front door opened. A guy walked in wearing a pair of blue jeans, a red tee shirt, and a black heavy jacket with "ZeroXPosur" printed on the shoulder. The man had the hood of the jacket over his head, covering up his tentacle hair. He began walking toward the bar.

"Hey, Chase! Buddy!"

"There you are!" He stopped flipping through the channels when he stopped on a specific one. A small smirk appeared on his face and he turned toward the man. "Took you long enough."

Callie looked up at the television and saw the bartender had stopped on the Inkopolis news channel. She immediately got an angry look on her face.

"Dude, I got here at the time I said I would. Don't be a smartass…" He looked up and saw what was on the tv and immediately got angry. He turned back to Chase. "Okay, you put that channel on every time I come here just to tick me off. Change it or turn it off."

Chase let out a small laugh. "Why? You used to like watching it. Why not anymore?" He had a smirk on his face.

"You know the reason why. You just like pissing me off. Now change it before I break the screen!"

"Alright, alright." He grabbed the remote and changed it over to a rank battle. "You seriously hate Marie that much? That you'd threaten to break the tv?"

"I'd do worse than that. And hate is a strong word...but the correct one. I just can't stand her. The show was watchable when Callie was on it, but now it's something I can't watch."

"Haha. Anyway, why'd you come over this time? Got a new thing for turf wars?"

"No, I'm still building it. What, I'm not allowed to come talk with a friend?"

Chase was about to answer when he heard the chef say that Callie's food was ready. "Hold on." He went into the kitchen and came back with a plate a burger and fries on it. He placed it in front of Callie. "Here you are miss."

"Thank you." She picked up a fry and threw it into her mouth. She looked over and noticed that the man was looking at her with a confused look. He turned back toward Chase.

"Um, why didn't you say that someone else is here?" He had a slight nervous look on his face.

"She just came in for a meal. Why do you care, Adstrum?"

The man apparently known as Adstrum got a confused look on his face. "...You're right. Why do I care?"

Chase leaned over the counter a bit and started whispering. "Maybe you can take this opportunity to talk to her. You've constantly asked me about girls and how to get their attention. Now's your chance to try talking to one."

"I don't know. I'm not good at coming up with conversations." He saw Chase stand up straight and head for the kitchen. "Where the hell are you going?"

"I need to help the chef clean up." He quickly went through the door, leaving Adstrum alone at the bar with Callie.

'That lying piece of…' Adstrum thought. He looked over at Callie and gave a nervous smile. "Hi."

She gave him a quick wave. "Hi. I heard that conversation just now." She saw Adstrum facepalm.

"Of course you did. Him and I need to learn to whisper quieter. Ugh, I feel stupid."

Callie giggled and went back to eating. About a minute passed before she spoke up. "I'm curious. What's your reason for hating Marie?"

Adstrum looked over at her. "I just can't stand her. I hate how sassy she is. I don't like that obvious fake smile of her's. The look on her face just screams 'I don't want to be here.' It's the face of a narcissist. She just...aggravates me. But the main reason I hate her is because she constantly made fun of Callie. And for no reason. It pisses me off just thinking about it."

Callie placed another fry into her mouth. "Interesting."

"So why do you hate Marie?"

"I never said I did."

"Yeah, but the way you worded your question made it sound like you hate her as well. You asked, 'What's your reason for hating Marie?' That implies that you hate her too." He looked over at Callie again.

"Clever thinking. I wouldn't say I hate her. I just don't really like her anymore. And it's for the same reason as you. I got tired of her sass as well."

Adstrum stared at Callie for a bit before speaking up. "Huh. Cool. You know what, I'm being rude. I haven't even introduced myself. My name's Adstrum Tenebris."

"I'm Jewel Rime. Nice to meet you."

"Well, Jewel. What's a beautiful woman like you doing here?" He smacked himself in the forehead. "That was cheesy. Why'd I say that? Not that it is not true. You are beautiful. Ah, dammit mouth. Shut up."

Callie giggled at him. "Stop hitting yourself. What's wrong with saying cheesy things?"

"They're cheesy. That's what's wrong with them."

"You are a strange inkling, aren't you?" She had finished up her meal and was waiting for the bill, texting on her phone telling Jim that she needed a ride. Chase quickly came out and placed it in front of her before rushing back into the kitchen.

"Wow, Chase. That was rude. I can pay that for you if you want."

She looked over at him. "No I've got it. Thanks for offering, though." She takes out her wallet from her purse and places a card on the bill. Chase came back, grabbed the bill, and came back a minute later with a receipt and the card.

"Thanks for coming. We hope to see you again."

"You're welcome. And you just might." Callie got up and headed for the door. She opened it but stopped in her tracks and turned toward Adstrum. "Is that your car, Adstrum?"

"You mean the one that looks like it was built out of pipes and other various pieces of metal. Yep, that's mine. I built it myself. Got the idea for it from a video game."

"Oh. Cool. Well, bye. Thanks for the conversation." She walked out the door and headed for the taxi that was waiting for her. Man, he got there quick.

Adstrum was waving goodbye before a mix of both confusion and realization showed up on his face. "What just happened?"

Chase walked out of the kitchen and ran up to Adstrum. "Dude, you just talked to and hit on a girl!"

"I did?" Adstrum's eyes widened. "Uuuhh. Uhhhmm. W-what? I-I'm so confused…"

"Don't worry about it, pal. How was it?"

"It was a new experience...Now what do I do?"

"Well, now you look for other women to talk to."

"I don't want to. I just want to go home."

"Alright, pal. Go home. I'll talk to you again later, okay?"

"Okay...bye." Adstrum got up and walked out the door, holding his forehead with his hand. He walked over to his car and got in. He started it and started to drive away, his eyes still wide.

"What happened?"

 **Author's note: Okay, second chapter. And we finally meet my OC. We'll see more of him next chapter as well. I don't really have much to say here. Again, I want to thank Apikachua for helping me with this fic. Anyways, if you like this story then leave a review. If you don't like it then leave a review saying what you don't like about it, but first say something you do like. Alright, see you all in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 3: A more violent turf war

Chapter 3: A more violent kind of turf war

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. I own Adstrum. Nintendo owns Splatoon. I assume I'm doing this disclaimer right because no one has corrected me yet.**

The next day the confused inkling, Adstrum, had just woken up and looked over at the clock on his dresser. 8:00 AM. 'Huh, I woke up before my alarm instead of sleeping through it. Good, I hate sleeping in.' He thought to himself as he got out of the bed. He quickly put on a pair of pajama bottoms and a random shirt before going to the kitchen. He quickly fixed himself a bowl of cereal before sitting in front of the TV and watching whatever caught his attention. He flipped through multiple channels before stopping on a cartoon that he liked. 'You are never too old for cartoons. I don't care what anyone says.' He put a spoonful of cereal in his mouth as he thought that.

About two hours later he was walking out the door wearing the same thing he did yesterday. A blue pair of jeans, a red shirt, and the black heavy jacket. He headed for his garage and opened it up, seeing his car was sitting there ready to be driven. 'Alright, let's do this.' He got in and started it up. He pulled out of the garage and drove off, the garage door automatically closing. While driving he thought about what happened last night until his mind got stuck on Jewel.

"Why did she seem so familiar? I know I've seen her before...she looked a lot like…wait, there's multiple people out there that look like Callie." He said to himself. "I won't make assumptions. It could be her, it could not be her. I should stop thinking about it and focus on what I plan to do today."

He continued to drive through the city looking for an Ammo Knights or similar store. He then remembered that there was an Ammo Knights store at the Turf War Subway Station, which is where Inklings go to participate in Turf Wars in Carti Ridge. He parked his car in a nearby parking garage and walked toward the station entrance. He went down the steps and instantly headed toward the Ammo Knights. On his way he looked around and noticed a lot of inklings holding modified versions of Turf War weapons. Splattershots with small bayonets made of ink, Rollers covered in barbed wire, Splat Chargers with barrels sharp enough to be used as spears, and he even noticed that some inklings were using the newest weapon to be introduced. A pair of gloves that used ink from the tank to create claws. Adstrum smiled and walked into the Ammo Knights store.

"Hey, Barry! I see Chase gave you my newest weapon prototype and you started mass producing it. How many people have bought it so far?"

"Ello mate," a scarred up fish person greeted him smiling at him with sharp teeth, "Ya been the talk of the turf mate. An'hoo what do I own the honor to ya visit, Tenebris?"

"I need to buy another ink tank off of you. I have another idea for a weapon."

"Course mate," He blew out some steam from his nose. "It's in the back like always. Grab some on the house, mate."

"Thanks, ya sharp mouthed bastard." Adstrum jokingly said before he walked toward the back.

"Ya too, ya wingding of a squid," He waves.

"Haha!" He came back with two ink tanks under his arms. "I'll just take two for now. Hey, you have any recordings of turf wars where inklings are using the claws yet? I want to see if any of them know of the weapon's secret functions."

"I'd be out of business if I didn't mate. Know what? I believe the kiddies are playing with it right now. Check the screen, mate." He points at the screen behind his counter.

Adstrum walked behind the counter and turned on the screen. It showed a live feed of a turf war match in progress. He sat down and watched multiple different matches with multiple different people. After about an hour he sighed and turned the screen off.

"Well, they apparently have just been using them like an inkbrush with shorter range but faster swiping speed. And most of them didn't understand how the special worked. I only saw a few inklings use it right. They activated it and started running around on all fours like an animal, splatting any inkling they slashed at in one hit. Then went back to standing on two feet when their special ran out. However, none of them did any of the secret functions."

"Well, it's not like there is a class fo dis mate"

"True. I didn't include either secret in the instructions. You did make copies of the instructions and include them with the claws you sell, right?"

"Nah, mate. I didn't think I had to. Kiddies never read ya know dis"

"Of course you didn't. You are right, though. Alright…" He stood up from where he was sitting and reached into his jacket, pulling out a pair of gloves with tubes leading into them.

"Ya heading out mate?," Barry wipes a weapon.

"I'll be back in a bit. I'm going to do one turf war match and show everyone the secret of the claws. Maybe it will help boost sales of them." He gave Barry a thumbs up. "Well, as long as you record my match and replay it on the tv on the subway station's wall."

"Course mate. Ya know how to butter me up mate. An'way thanks very much. Have fun out there, Tenebris."

"Oh…" A demented smile appeared on Adstrum's face. "I will. Heheheh." He walked out the door and got on the first subway train he could.

A few minutes later he was standing on an orange respawn pad with three other players on a map that looked very similar to Arowana Mall. It still had the basic layout of the map, but there was no water hazard. Just a concrete area to cover in ink. Adstrum looked at his teammates and saw that one was holding a Roller, another was holding a Splattershot, and the last was holding a Splat Charger.

'The basic turf weapons, huh? Welp, to each their own, I guess.' He looked at the other team and saw that one was using a Splattershot Jr., another was using a Splatterscope, and the last two were using a Splat Roller and a Krak-On Splat Roller. 'Those last two I like.' He thought. 'Too bad they're on the other team.' He activated his gloves, causing ink to start dripping from his fingers, which quickly hardened into claws. 'Let's party.'

A loud bang started the match, and his Splattershot teammate starts inking the area around him.

The charger shot a path and climbed up to a high vantage point. She starts scanning for people.

Adstrum followed the teammate with the Krak-On Roller down the right pathway toward the alternate route. He slashed his claws and spread ink in places the Roller player ignored. When they got to the ledge above the center of the map Adstrum quickly pressed himself against the wall. "AAAAHHH!" He knew that yell of pain. He looked and to his expectations was an area of blue ink where his teammate once was. 'I knew the sniper would be waiting for us.' He waved his hand real quick before pulling it back in, just in time to see a blue spot of ink hit the wall he was staring at. 'Who thought modifying the chargers so that they shoot out an ink pellet instead of an ink trail when they're fully charged was a good idea?'

"AGH!" the splattershot laid down wounded, "Dammit…"

"There! Enemy's injured finish em!" the blue sniper shouted to his team

Adstrum took a quick peek and saw the squid trying to crawl away toward the wall that led up to the ledge he was on. 'I guess I can show three secrets with these claws.' He leapt from his hiding place and dug one of the claws into the wall, sliding down it and leaving a trail of orange ink as he did so. When he touched the ground he grabbed his teammate who was in squid form and threw them on top of the ledge. "Get to cover!"

"Target sighted. Going in." The enemy Splattershot Jr. said as he aimed at Adstrum.

Adstrum turned around and dug his claws into the ground before pulling himself forward and going into a dodge roll. He jumped down to the concrete floor below and pressed himself against the wall again. He waited and sure enough the enemy Splattershot Jr. followed. They had their back turned to him, but he saw their tentacles were bubbling. 'Oh good. They have their bubbler ready.'

"Dear cod HELP!" The injured squid tried to crawl faster.

"SUPER JUMP BACK TO BASE, MORON!" Adstrum knew he just blew his cover, but he was counting on it. The enemy activated their bubbler and turned around, which is what he was hoping for. He plunged the claws straight into the shield and pulled, ripping a hole in the bubbler and causing it to pop. "That would be the second secret of these claws."

"My shield has been compromised…? I failed…. I'm sorry..." He was confused, but then calmed down.

"What's up with you?"

"Don't worry about it… good match."

"Alright. P.S. You missed your opportunity to splat me." With that said Adstrum tackled the Splattershot Jr. user and slashed at them twice, splatting them. He got up and saw an orange squid fly through the air before they landed back at base. 'Oh good. He listened.' He thought as he climbed his way back up to the center of the map. He saw that the roller teammate had made it to the enemy's half of the map and that the enemy sniper was focused on him. 'Perfect.' He quickly and quietly dashed to the spot underneath the sniper. He looked up and saw that the ledge the sniper was on was right above him. 'Let's see how you react to this, you sniping motherfucker.' He faced the wall and plunged the claws into it. He then pulled out one of his clawed hands from the wall and grabbed onto a higher part of said wall. He started climbing the wall at a steady pace. Not as fast as swimming up it, but this way he didn't need to ink the wall first. And while it did leave him vulnerable no enemies were around to notice him doing this. The only enemy close by was the sniper directly above him, who had no idea of the surprise he was about to get. Adstrum reached the ledge the sniper was on but instead of climbing up further he grabbed onto the underside of the sniper platform. He hung from there waiting for the right moment. When he heard a cry of pain and saw an orange inkling ghost squid float off toward his team's respawn point he knew the charger got him. 'Turn back toward the center of the map, you fool.' He thought as a smile spread on his face.

"..." The sniper continued to scan the area, noticing that the orange sniper and splattershot were still unharmed and he had just taken out the roller user. "...Missing one…."

It was at that moment that Adstrum swung himself up onto the ledge, slamming both of his feet into the face of the sniper as he did so, knocking him onto his back. "SURPRISE!" He jumped onto their stomach, holding the claws above his face. "Hello, how has your day been? On a scale of one to ten, how much of a surprise was this?"

"..." He said nothing, instead deciding to throw splat bombs at him.

"Nope." He grabbed the sniper by the collar of his shirt and threw him off the ledge before leaping off after him. He narrowly dodged the Splat bombs and landed on the sniper's shoulders, who had landed on their feet. The sniper yelped as he collapsed to the floor

"Just accept defeat already." With that said Adstrum turned the sniper around to face him, held the back of his head with his left hand, and held his right hand up in the air, the claws ready to strike.

"..." He struggled and tried to get free.

"Just take the defeat, you stubborn shit." Adstrum brought his right hand down, slashing away at the sniper until he splatted in a shower of orange ink, his blue ghost flying off toward the blue team's respawn. "And learn to speak words more often! I felt like I was talking to a brick wall!"

"Everyone's down…." The blue team's krak-on roller muttered. "...This is scary…."

She tried to roll around as quietly as possible. She splattered the walls trying to get to a high vantage point.

Adstrum noticed his special was ready and activated it. He let out an animal like roar and an arrow similar to an echolocator appeared on the blue Krak-On roller for a few seconds. Adstrum got on all fours and started charging straight for the enemy.

"EEP!" She began frantically running away, "THIS WAS A BAD IDEA! BAD IDEA BAD IDEA BAD IDEA!"

Adstrum climbed up a wall to find her running down one of the alternate paths. He was right on her tail when just before he could slash and splat her the whistle blew letting everyone know the match was over. He got back on his two feet and took off his gloves before putting them back in his jacket. He looked over at the lucky squid and held his hand out to her. "Good game. Hey, you okay?"

"..." the squid was nearly in tears as she shook. She was frozen in fear.

"Was this your first time competing in a turf war in Carti Ridge? Because if it is, then trust me, this wasn't even one of the more violent ones."

"... f-f-f-first and l-l-l-last….." she shivers as she walks out of the arena, "I think I'll go to Inkopolis….I hear nobody dies there..."

"Nobody's died in a turf war here, either! The worst incident that's happened was an inkling getting put in a full body cast. I thought that was weird considering we don't have bones."

"Well all my teammates look like they will need stitches… and I don't want that…I'm done..."

"Well, luckily you were saved by the whistle. Don't worry, you get used to the pain." He turned into a squid and super jumped back to his team's respawn pad. He sunk into it and found himself in subway station, with the train waiting for them. He got on and took his seat, folding his arms as he patiently waited for the train to leave.

A few minutes later the train arrived back in the Turf War Subway Station. Adstrum stepped off and immediately headed toward the Ammo Knights. On the way he saw that the big TV on the wall of the station was already showing the match he was just in, and he could see the look of wonder on multiple inklings faces as they saw him climb up the wall with the claws. He stepped into the Ammo Knights store and immediately looked toward the owner.

"Oy, welcome back mate. You made er cry, nice one, mate." Barry blew steam out of his gills.

Adstrum got a look of guilt on his face. "Yeah, my bad. Didn't mean to do that."

"Don't worry kiddies can't be soft here. Though she's not bad with claws…. Weak girl thought she would kill someone…. silly"

"Wait, she bought a pair of Ink Claws?"

"Nah mate. She wrecked the training room. I was impressed but then she cried when she saw me. Then I realised she was a wuss"

"Man, you're an ass sometimes."

"I just think it's a shame. She's a coward… ba, weak hearted for her own good."

"Like I said, you are an ass, you scaly bastard."

"Yeah, I know… I call it tough love, mate"

"Whatever." Adstrum started walking back to the door until he stopped next to it. "By the way, expect a hoard of inklings wanting the claws in 3...2...1…" He pointed at the door just as multiple inklings ran in. "Good luck, Barry!"

"If ma face don't scare them away. G'day mate."

Adstrum stepped out of the Ammo Knights and headed for the exit. He climbed the stairs and headed straight for his car. He noticed it was still light out and checked the time on his phone. 4:00 PM. "Yeah, I can still do that today." He got into his car and immediately drove off toward the nearest bike shop, which was located in the more business related part of the city. He waited through traffic for a while until he finally found the place he was looking for. Slate's Choppers. Adstrum parked his car next to the building and immediately got out. He opened the store's front door and went inside. He walked past a couple of small aisles full of bike parts and approached the front counter. He got the attention of the cashier, an inkling with dull blue tentacles and wearing a leather jacket. 'Of course he's wearing that.' Adstrum thought.

"Excuse me." Adstrum said to get his attention. The cashier looked up at him.

"Hey, how can I help you?" He had a nametag that said Grey on it.

'I guess Slate is the owner of the store.' Adstrum thought before he spoke up. "Yeah, I would like to buy a bike, please. Which one is your cheapest?"

"Are you sure? We have better bikes that don't cost that much more." He wasn't very good at upselling, but he sounded like he was trying. But not that hard.

"Nah, just give me your cheapest one. All I really need is the rear wheel and the motor."

Grey shot Adstrum a confused look. "Are you serious? You just need a back wheel and a motor?"

"Plus a few other parts but I'll get those from the other parts of the bike. May I please just buy it?"

Grey stood there giving Adstrum a confused look before finally walking over to the door to the garage and leading Adstrum into it. He showed him the cheapest bike they had and Adstrum said he would take it. They walked back to the register and Adstrum gave him a card which he used to pay for the motorcycle.

"Hey, could you help me with getting it into my car?" Adstrum asked.

Grey let out a small sigh. "Alright." They walked back to the garage and brought the bike out to the car. Adstrum hopped on top of his car and stood above the hole on top of it that led to the second seat. He leaned over and grabbed the back wheel of the bike while Grey struggled to lift the front of it. He pulled it up on top of his car and carefully let it fall into the second seat. He then reached into the second seat and pulled out a chain, which he used to make sure the bike didn't fall out on his way home. He hopped down from the top of the car and got in the driver's seat.

"Thanks for the help, Grey." Adstrum said as he put on the seat belt.

"You're welcome. Nice car."

"Thanks. Made it myself. Bye." With that said Adstrum started his car and got back on the street.

While driving he looked around and noticed a tall building with the sign 'Biolumin-Essense' on it.

"Hey isn't that the fashion company? Jeez. What do they need such a big building for?" He said to himself as he looked up at the tall skyscraper. He looked around the front door of the building and noticed a familiar face walking toward a taxi. "Is that Jewel?" His eyes widened when he saw her look up toward his direction. He quickly looked back at the street hoping she didn't notice him looking at her. 'She obviously saw me. That's the problem with having a unique car. I just hope she didn't notice me looking at her.' He quietly drove home, his face burning with embarrassment.

 **Author's note: Alright, thanks to Apikachua again for helping me with this story and for taking the role of the other teammates including the enemy team. They also took the roll of Barry the Barracuda. Also, thanks to SpoilFiveDecisions for reviewing. I'm glad you like this story.**

 **Anyways, this is what turf wars are like in Carti Ridge. You either need to be very strong, very brave, very stupid, or just plain insane to participate in them. We also take a look at what Adstrum is like. See ya next update.**


	5. Chapter 4: A familiar face

Chapter 4: A familiar face

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. Nintendo does.**

Callie woke up the next morning at the same time as always, 8:00 AM. She got out of bed and immediately went to the bathroom, instantly getting in the shower and getting ready for the day. About a half an hour later she walked into the kitchen wearing a purple tank top with dark blue jeans. She starts to search for food.

"Dammit…" She mutters under her breath, 'I didn't get any food since I got here…Now I remember the other reason I went to that restaurant last night.'

Callie sighs and grabs her phone. She searches for the closest store to her apartment. She saw it was only a few blocks away. 'I can walk to it.' She thought as she grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

About ten minutes later Callie was browsing the aisles of the grocery store looking for anything that caught her interest. She decided to focus on breakfast things and grabbed pancake mix, bread, a jar of jelly, two bags of coffee beans, a small bag of sugar, and a small bag of apples. She thought about getting some ice cream, but decided not to despite how tempted she was. After going to the checkout and paying for everything she started walking home. Luckily everything she got was able to fit in only three bags. While walking she remembered what happened last night.

'Man, that Catfish Burger was good.' She licked her lips but then remembered the strange inkling in the jacket. 'That was a weird inkling. And what were he and the bartender talking about? What was he building?' She got to the apartment complex and walked in. She went toward the nearest elevator and got on. 'He was kind of cute, though. Okay, seriously Callie. A lot of men are cute. The bartender was as well. Ugh, I gotta get my mind off this. Maybe...I wonder how Anabelle is doing.' She got off the elevator and instantly went to her apartment door. She unlocked it and went in, placing the groceries on the kitchen counter. 'I hope that bitch Anita isn't bothering her. If she was called in to model today.' She put the groceries away except for the pancake mix. 'I'll go see how Ana's doing after breakfast.' She checked the time and saw it was only 9:00. 'Yeah, it's still breakfast time.' She got out the necessary cooking ware and opened the mix.

About forty-five minutes later Callie was walking out of her apartment again calling Jim on her phone. "Thanks Jim. I'll see you in a bit." She hung up and decided to use the stairs this time. When she got outside she had to wait a few more minutes until a familiar cab showed up.

"Hey Jim! Thanks again." She said as she got into the cab.

"No problem, Jewel. Anything for my best customer." He put the cab in drive and started down the street. "So, you going to work again today?"

"Yeah, but just to hang out this time. I don't really have anything better to do."

"Yeah. Hanging around at home alone can get boring."

"Yep. Say, Jim, how's the family?" Callie looked up at the middle-aged urchin.

"Oh, they're doing great. My wife just got a promotion at work and the kids are now in high school." He turned the steering wheel, making the taxi go left. "Don't really got any complaints."

"Well, that's great." Callie smiled at him. "Glad to hear that."

About ten to twenty minutes of silence passed before they arrived at the Biolumin-Essense building. "Again, thank you Jim. I'll see you later." Callie opened the door and stepped out.

"Later Jewel."

Callie stepped inside of the building and instantly walked up to the front desk. But to her surprise instead of seeing Anabelle she saw that the previous receptionist was back.

"Hello Clair! You're back to working as the receptionist again?" Callie was happy to see her again, until a slight look of fear appeared on her face. "Wait, what happened to Annabelle?"

"Oh hello Jewel." She glances up at her from her book. "Anna? Oh, she asked me to take her place today."

"Oh good. I was afraid Anita got her fired or something. Um, she's not here today, is she?"

"Anna? No way Anita will have to deal with me before she can get her prissy hands on my sister."

"Good. So where is Annabelle today, anyway? Is she sick or something?"

"No she just said she had something to do… She would be back soon."

"Nice. Your sister is a nice person. I don't want her to be upset."

"She's quite the crybaby, but she's a good person."

"Do you know what Anita did to her yesterday?"

"Of course I did she had soy latte all over her and her uniform. I shot Anita with my charger. You should have seen her face" She smirked. "Gonna need a new hand bag after I sniped a hole into it"

"You did? Damn. Wish I stayed to see that." Callie placed her hands on her hips. "Glad you did that. Who does that bitch think she is?" She walked to the other side of the desk and sat in a secondary chair.

"I don't care, she got what she deserved."

"She did. Good job." Callie leaned forward a bit. "So what have you been up to since the promotion?"

"You saw my mentor, I'm suppose to take her place as secretary. She is done with this place because of the mega bitch."

"Of course Anita made another person quit. Ugh." She leaned back in her chair.

"So...we haven't talked in awhile. You are looking more like Callie… hehehe… You a fan girl or something?"

Callie jumped in response to that. Clair was the only person she told this secret to. "Shh. Don't joke about it. Agh." She gently punched her in the arm. "Why do you like making me freak out about that?"

"Hehe… sorry I like messing with you…" Clair sipped her tea.

"You're not funny. Heheh."

"OH ANNABELLE?!" That voice made Clair's face turn sour.

"Oh boy…" Clair sighed.

"Clair! YOU RUINED A PERFECTLY GOOD HANDBAG!" Anita stomped over to her.

"So bite me." Clair rolled her eyes

"You deserved it, bitch." Callie leaned back in her chair again. "Go away, me and Clair are talking right now."

"ARGH…. You people have no respect."

"Just not for you" Clair sipped her tea

" Heheheh. Get lost, you whore."

"Fine but where's Annabelle? She made a bet with me. I wanna see her face"

Clair spit her tea.

"What?" Callie got a surprised look on her face.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Clair was growling.

"I told her she was way to scared to go into a turf war here. Poor thing is probably scarred for life now without her sister to protect her" She laughs

Callie was about to say something when she saw Annabelle herself walk through the front door. "Anna!"

Annabelle was shaking and sobbing her eyes out.

"Beautiful! SO how was it Annabelle?" Anita smirked

"..." She was turning white.

"SHUT UP, YOU BITCH!" Callie had the angriest look on her face. She jumped over the front desk and slapped Anita across the face before running over to shaking inkling, embracing her in a hug. "You okay? What happened?"

"Some guy destroyed my team and he nearly slashed me to sashimi..."

"What? Really? What kind of weapons do they use here?"

"Claws I think…. The scary storekeeper said I was good with them… I thought I could kill someone so I didn't get them…. But I think I'll stay out of turf wars in this city…maybe go to Inkopolis… When I get enough money..."

"Who dares? Tell me who so I can rip them limb from limb!" Clair's tentacles were bubbling.

"It's okay Anna. It's okay." Callie continued to hug the scared girl. "Do you know what he looks like?"

"I kinda do but it's hard to explain."

Callie walked Anna over to the front desk and gave her to Clair, who wrapped her in a hug. She then turned toward Anita, who had her hand on her face where Callie slapped her. "This is your fault, you know?"

"No it isn't. I just told her she wouldn't survive."

"She wouldn't have gone and done it if you didn't say anything!"

While Callie and Anita were arguing Annabelle looked out the window to watch the cars. She liked watching them go by. Her attention was caught by a very unusual car. But when she saw a familiar black heavy jacket being worn by the driver she tightened her hug on her sister.

"You okay Anna? Want me to get you the green tea smoothies you like so much?" Clair hugs her tighter.

"..." Annabelle froze and hid under the table.

Anita had grown tired of hearing Callie tell her to leave Anna alone. She wasn't really paying attention. She just walked back toward the elevator, only letting out bored sigh before the elevator door closed.

"Okay you stay down there I'll get your smoothie" Clair rushed out the door.

Callie walked back to the front desk and sat down. She saw Anna curled up under the desk and patted her head. "It's okay, Anna. Clair and I will keep you safe, okay? You don't need to worry about Anita or that guy from the turf war."

Anna climbed up onto the chair and whimpered as she hugged her knees.

Callie pulled out her phone and called Jim, telling him to be ready to pick her up. She sat there hugging Anna despite the fact that her cab had shown up. She texted Jim and told him that she'll come out when Clair gets back. She waited for about three minutes when said inkling walked back through the front doors.

"I'm back!" She was carrying some drinks with a sundae.

"Good. Listen, I'm going to go home now. It's getting late. I'll be back tomorrow though, asap."

"Okay before you go here." Clair handed Callie a sundae, "I remember how you like these so I learned to make this. Don't forget to treat yourself sometimes"

"Thanks." She took the sweet treat and headed for the door. She began walking toward Jim's cab when she looked up and saw the strange vehicle again. She thought she saw the driver looking at her before quickly looking in front of them. 'Was that...Adstrum?' She got into the cab and ate her sundae on the way home.

"CLAIR! THERE! THAT'S HIM!" Annabelle clings to her sister.

"What?" She saw where Anna was pointing and saw the weird car. "...you wait here…."

Clair sat her down and walked outside. Her tentacles bubbled more the closer she got. She saw the car drive away when the light it was at turned green. She cursed under her breath and walked back inside.

"Humph… Come on Anna let's close up and head home okay?" Clair crossed her arms.

"Okay…" She smiled as she sipped her smoothie.

Clair looked relieved and happy. They cleaned up their workstation and headed home together. 'I'll find him another day.'

 **Author's Note: I forgot to include this when I updated this morning. Ah jeez. Okay. Thanks to Apikachua for helping with this story, TheSwimmingSquid for giving their opinion on this fic, and to SpoilFiveDecisions for reviewing again. So yeah, Spoil, I was trying to imagine what Turf Wars would be like if they were more violent. But I had just finished playing LET IT DIE, which is where some of the violent inspiration came from and also where the claws idea came from. There will be another weapon introduced in this fic that is inspired from another weapon in that game. Anyway, thanks for reading. If you like this fic then go ahead and leave a review. But remember the rule I gave in the prologue.**


	6. Chapter 5: New Changes

Chapter 5: New Changes

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. Nintendo does.**

Marie was driving down the now completed Hammerhead Bridge toward her home in Flounder Heights. Without Callie she was able to afford a single apartment there about a year ago. The news company she worked with had finally finished setting up the new studio and tomorrow was the first time they would record the news there. She was nearing the end of the bridge when her phone rang. She instead pressed a button on her radio and switched it over to the hands-free phone setting.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Marie. How are you doing?" The voice of Jack came through the car's speakers.

"Hey Agent 3. I'm doing fine. What do you want?"

"For the last time, please just call me Jack. It's not that hard." A slight sigh of annoyance could be heard through the speakers. "So what's the new studio like?"

"It's a nice upgrade. There is more room and an actual dressing room for us- Oh I mean me. They tried to make it like the old one and did a pretty good job too."

"That's cool. So, I heard that you are supposed to be performing in a concert in a city called Carti Ridge, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I just want to know when that's happening?"

"You want to come along, don't you?"

"Well, I do want to go, but I was going to go on my own. But then I thought why not go when Marie goes. That way there's someone in the other city that I actually know."

"I could just invite you along, you know?"

"I...don't feel comfortable with that." His voice had a hint of uneasiness in it. "If I took your invitation then I feel like I'm just piggybacking off your fame. I don't want to do that."

"Really?" She was surprised with his answer. "Wow, Agent-ahem-I mean Jack. I didn't expect that kind of answer. I mean, inviting you is no problem."

"That's okay. Just let me know when you are going so that I can go a day ahead."

"I'm going in about a month or so. Why are you going, anyway? And why a day before me?"

"I heard the Turf Wars they have in Carti Ridge are more extreme than here in Inkopolis. And I want to check them out. And I'm going ahead of you so I can get first crack at the turf before you."

"Oh really?" Marie had a small smirk on her face. "Well, you just be sure to let me know what they are like."

"Alright. Well, I'll see you later. Bye Marie."

"Bye." She heard him hang up, just as she got to her apartment building. She parked her car and went inside, instantly going to the elevator and stepping on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack had just hung up the phone and reopened the magazine he was reading. He was currently in the waiting room of a dentist's office. He had an appointment today. The magazine was the newest issue of "Turfing Pro." He was seeing the newest weapon that came to Carti Ridge.

"Ink Claws? Cool. I really want to try those. And rumors say that the next weapon is almost complete and will be released soon? Oh, man! I want to go!"

"Jack." He heard his name get called and looked up to see the receptionist pointing toward the door.

"Okay." He placed the magazine back where he got it, but his attention was caught by the cover of another. "Huh? Was that-?" He picked up the magazine he saw, which was an issue of Biolumin-Essense fashion, and the inkling on the cover looked familiar to him. "She looks like..." Before he could connect the dots he heard his name get called again. "Sorry!" He placed the magazine down and went into the door.

* * *

While that was going on, Marie was getting ready to relax, having already changed into a pair of green pajamas. She had just reheated a few leftover pieces of pizza and was sitting on the couch ready to watch tv while she ate. She reached for the remote that was sitting on the coffee table when she accidentally bumped a picture that was on it, knocking the frame over.

"Ugh, dammit." She picked the picture frame up and looked at it real quick. It was a picture of her and Callie when they were younger. It was the day they won the first annual Youth Folk-Singing contest. Callie was holding a first place trophy while Marie herself was holding a certificate of their victory. This is what started their career as the Squid Sisters. Marie smiled at the picture before a few tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"What happened?" She said in between sobs. "Callie, why did you quit? Why did you leave?" She put her face in her hands and cried for a bit longer until she couldn't anymore.

 **Author's Note: Oh, that's how to add that horizontal line! YAY! I figured it out! Okay, I know this is a shorter chapter, but I don't know how I was going to stretch this chapter any longer. Anyway, I continue to thank Apikachua for helping me write this story. Please leave a review if you feel like it. I would like to hear your opinions. But remember to follow the rule of saying something you like about the story first and then criticize it. If you don't have anything to criticize then just tell me what you love or like about the fic. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next update.**


	7. Chapter 6: Girl's Night Interruption

Chapter 6: Girl's Night Interruption

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. But Adstrum is my OC.**

Callie had just gotten to work the next day and walked through the front door of the Biolumin-Essense building. She looked and saw that Annabelle was working as the receptionist today. She smiled and walked up to her.

"Oh, good morning Jewel." Annabelle smiled.

"Good morning, Anna. Glad to see you back. You doing okay?" Callie looked at her with a slight hint of worry on her face.

"Yeah, Clair is here as Renay's secretary today. She said we'll go out for food later."

"Great. I was hoping to hang with her today. And you two are going out to get dinner later? Where at?"

"Yeah. Oh, I don't know. I don't think we decided yet."

"I have a suggestion. I'll let Clair know about it. I need to get to the photo studio asap. I got called in today."

"Clair is up there. She'll be in the room as you model for pictures. So maybe talking to her will be easier."

"Good. Alright, see ya later Annabelle." Callie waved as she headed for the elevator. "And don't listen to anything Anita says!"

"Okay bye Jewel." She waved back, "Okay."

When Callie reached the twenty-fifth floor she immediately headed down the hall toward the photo studio. When she walked in she saw that Renay was running around trying to get everything ready while Clair was looking at a notebook she was holding.

"COME ON EVERYONE WE'RE LATE!" Renay pushed Zack to his spot.

"Hey, Jewel." Clair greeted as she looked up from her notebook.

"Hey Clair. I heard that-" She was interrupted by Renay putting an outfit in her hands and pushing her toward the door.

"Sorry, Jewel, but we are very late right now. You need to go change immediately."

"Umm later then." Clair laughed.

"Yeah, later." Callie laughed back. She hurried to the changing room and quickly changed into the outfit she was given. When she came back she looked over at Renay. "I'm only modeling one outfit today?"

"Yeah, the rest of the outfits are late…because our new tailor fell asleep… in that pile of fabric..." She looked at Callie and saw her wearing the black strapless flowing dress with yellow edges. "You look amazing in that, Jewel."

Callie pulled the dress up higher. "Do I really?" She had an unsure look on her face.

Clair poked the pile of fabric.

"Hmm?" A squid with shorts on her head looks at her "Hello…"

"Renay says for you to have coffee." Clair hands her a cup.

"Okay…" She drinks the coffee and quickly falls back asleep.

"Okay…" Clair wrote more notes. "Two shots of espresso in an energy drink doesn't work..."

"Alright everyone! Hurry!" Renay shouted. "Zack, is the camera ready?" She saw him nod his head in response. "Sam, are the lights good to go?" She heard him reply with a yes. "Okay, good. Jewel, it's time."

"Okay, Renay." Callie walked over to the green screen. She placed her hands on her hips as the first photo was taken. She saw Clair sit down in a nearby chair, writing more notes. "So I heard you and your sis are going to get dinner tonight." She struck a pose as the next pic was taken.

"Oh yeah, wanna come with?" Clair looked at her, "Though I don't know where yet. We always spend hours deciding"

"I have a suggestion." She struck another pose. "I found this restaurant about two days ago. It's a nice place."

"Hehe, nice" She threw her pen at the tailor. "..."

The tailor falls over from her pile, still sleeping.

"No effect…."

"Anyway, it's a nice place. But when I went it was empty minus the bartender. And this one guy that showed up. It was kind of late when I went, though."

"Well, it's something so sure."

"Nice." She did one more pose when Renay spoke up.

"Alright. That should be enough pictures. Thanks for coming in today, Jewel. We needed this."

"Hey, I was planning on showing up today anyway." She headed for the door and instantly went toward the changing room.

"Goddammit! Wake up, Cici!" Clair threw a book at the tailor.

"Owie…" Cici sat up, "You're… mean…."

"You were supposed to be making outfits… you only made one."

"Yes… I was… suppose ta... huh?" She rubbed her eyes.

"I will… kill… you…" She started bubbling.

Callie walked back through the door wearing the same outfit she had on this morning. A simple purple tee and a pair of jeans. "Alright. Well, I've got nothing else to do today. Should we just hang out until it's time to go?" Her eyes went wide. "Clair, let go of Cici!"

Clair was strangling Cici. Cici doesn't seem to be caring.

"Bastard doesn't wake up! And don't tell me she forgot about her job?!" Clair roared as she shook Cici.

"I see stars." Cici muttered.

"Clair, calm down." She pulled her off of the barely conscious tailor, who face planted onto the floor. "Jeez, Clair. Your anger's going to get you in trouble one day."

Cici begins snoring again. Clair seemed even more pissed off now.

"Come on. Let's go hang out with Anna. You still need Clair, Renay?"

"No, she can take the rest of the day off. You two go and have fun." She waved them goodbye as they walked out the door. They instantly got on the elevator and headed for the first floor.

Clair instantly calmed down and wrote more notes. "Fear doesn't work…. I'm beginning to lose hope to ever keep her awake…"

As soon as they got off the elevator Callie ran over and sat next to Annabelle. "Hello again."

"Welcome back Jewel, Clair." Annabelle smiled. "So, um, any luck with Cici?"

"Nope she's a rock when she's KOed." Clair sighed. "Spent the whole day trying…."

"Someone will find a way to keep her awake. Anyway, guess tonight's going to be a girl's night out!"

"That sounds great!" Annabelle beamed. "But uh, where are we going?"

"I don't remember the name. Or if it even had one. But it's a great place to go. It was empty when I went so we won't be disturbed. I hope..."

"Alright, that sounds good. I can drive us there." Clair untied her tentacles.

"And I'll give the directions. Jim drove past it last night so I was able to memorize how to get there."

"Wow, you get use to this place fast, don't you?"

"Yep." Callie smiled. She checked her phone and saw it was around 2:00 in the afternoon. "Welp, we got about six hours to kill before quitting time."

"But Renay let us out early, right?"

"But what about Anna? Isn't she still working?"

"One sec." Clair dialed a number on her phone.

A distant ring sounded in the building.

"Hello…?" Cici's sleepy voice muttered.

"Yo, get your butt down here."

"Can you catch me?"

"..." She sighed, "Can't you use your legs like a normal person?! Fine! I'll wave to you."

"Renay would fire her if she wasn't the best tailor in this city." Callie sighed.

"Yeah… that lazy asshole…" Clair walked outside and waved. In a second Cici jumped into her arms in squid form, "Still asleep… unbelieveable…"

"Welp, guess Annabelle's shift is covered." Callie looked over at the sleeping green squid in Clair's hands. "Kind of."

"OH DEAR GOD IS SHE OKAY?!" Annabelle covered her mouth.

"Totally fine…. At least she can sleep through Anita's stupidity…" Clair put Cici down on the chair.

"...zzzz…" Cici turned back into her humanoid form.

Clair positioned her so she was resting on her hand.

"Speaking of which let's leave before said bitch shows up." Callie hopped over the front desk and started heading for the front door. "Come on. Let's go!"

"Great idea, let's roll Anna"

"Oh...um...Okay?" Annabelle looked confused, "Thanks for this Cici." She got a snore in response.

Everyone ran out to Clair's car. Annabelle sat up front so she could be closer to Clair. Callie sat in the back and just said which intersections to turn at and which way to turn.

About 20 minutes later they had arrived at the restaurant. It was just as empty as the last time Callie was there.

"Huh, thought it would be busier since it's only about 2:30." Callie was confused.

"That doesn't seem good for business..." Annabelle looks around.

"Maybe it's a slow day for them. The sign says that they are open." She walked up to the front door and walked in.

"YO! IS THERE SERVICE IN HERE?" Clair shouted inside.

A familiar inkling popped his head up from behind the bar. "Oh, hello ladies. May I help you?"

"Are you guys open today?"

"Yeah, but most people clock out at around noon on weekdays. Weekends are when we are busy all day."

"Ah, that's a relief." Annabelle smiled.

"Anyway, do you beautiful ladies need a table?" Chase gave them a smile.

Clair seemed a bit annoyed. Annabelle giggled.

"Yes please." Callie stepped up. "Table for three please."

"Right this way." He led them to a table in the corner of the restaurant. It was the farthest one away from the bar, which seemed kind of strange. "Here's some menus. I'll be back in just a few moments." He walked back toward the bar.

"Aw, don't be angry… it was a compliment." Annabelle patted her sister.

"I may sock him next time….." Clair bit her lip.

Callie giggled. She already knew what she wanted, so she didn't bother opening her menu. "C'mon, Clair. He's just being kind. At least he's the same waiter I had when I came here."

"Humph, I don't like him…"

"Oh, calm down. You get annoyed too easily." Callie smiled at her. At that moment Chase came back.

"So, can I get you ladies started with some drinks?" He pulled out a notepad and a pencil.

"I would like some coffee, and my sister will have a sweet tea." Annabelle smiled.

"And I will just have a glass of water."

"Alright then." He wrote down all the drinks on the notepad. "And do you know what you want to order?"

"I already know what I want, but I don't know if my friends do. Please give us a bit more time."

"Alright. I'll be back with your drinks momentarily." He walked away.

"Salad sounds nice…." Clair looked around in the menu.

"Burger is fine with me" Annabelle looked at the pictures.

"Oh, that's what I'm getting too."

About a minute passed when Chase returned with three drinks. "Okay, a coffee for you." He placed the coffee in front of Annabelle. "A sweet tea for you." He placed the drink in front of Clair. "And a water for you." He placed the glass in front of Callie.

"Thank you." Annabelle smiled.

"Thanks…" Clair replied.

"Thank you, Chase."

"Alright, so are you ladies ready to order yet or do you need more time?"

"I think we're ready."

"Great." Chase pulled out the notepad and pencil again. "What would you like?"

"A mandarin salad please…." Clair muttered.

"I'll have a burger please." Annabelle gave him back their menus.

"And I will also have a burger, but minus the lettuce and onions please." Callie handed him the menu.

Chase finished writing the orders down and accepted the menus from the three women. "Alright. I will have your orders out asap." He turned around and walked away again.

"Clair, why don't you like him?" Callie asked genuinely curious.

"She has had problems with people hitting on her over the years… She usually had to pound them into the ground for them to stop. Words like 'pretty' or 'beautiful' trigger this."

"Oh, I see." She looked over at the slightly annoyed inkling. "I guess that makes sense. Maybe I should change the subject."

About fifteen minutes of the girls talking amongst each other passed when Chase came back with the meals. "Here you are, ladies. A salad for you, ma'am." He handed Clair the salad.

"Thanks…."

"A burger for you, miss." He handed Annabelle a plate that had a burger and fries on it.

"Thank you very much." Annabelle smiled.

"And here's your burger, Jewel." He handed Callie her meal.

"Aw, you remembered my name?"

"Hey, who could forget a face as pretty as yours?" He smiled.

Clair rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I'll be back later to check on you fine ladies. Let me know if-" The sound of screeching tires caught his attention. He looked out the window and saw a familiar vehicle. "Oh, about time." He muttered under his breath. He looked back at the three women. "Let me know if you need anything." He hurried back to the bar.

"...What's his problem?" Clair looked confused.

"He left the soup on?" Annabelle shrugged.

"On the bar? I don't think so."

At that moment a familiar heavy jacket wearing inkling walked through the entrance holding a large case in one hand. He approached the bar where Chase was and sat down. Clair recognized the jacket and apparently so had Annabelle as she had immediately clung to her.

"Hey Jewel can you watch my sister…." Clair's tentacles bubbled as she stood up.

"Hey, that's-Wait, what? Why? What's wrong?" Callie looked confused. "What are you doing?"

"Just getting an apology."

 **Author's Note: Another Chapter. YAY! Alright, I don't really have anything to say here this time. Don't really have anything to say. Thanks for reading and leave a review if you want.**


	8. Chapter 7: Casual Encounter

Chapter 7: Casual Encounter

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

Earlier that same day, at around 1:20, a certain jacket wearing inkling was sitting at a workbench in his basement wearing a welding mask over his face. Over in the corner was a dismantled motorcycle. The front end was laying on the ground while the motor and rear wheel were sitting against the wall. On the workbench was an Ink Tank full of black ink, a strange looking ink bomb, and the motorcycle's gas tank. He was busy cleaning out the gas tank as best as he could. He was so focused in this task that his phone going off in his pocket surprised him enough to cause him to bump the strange looking ink bomb, causing it to light up.

"Ah, shit…" A quick flash was seen through the small window looking into the basement. Inside the basement the walls were covered in black ink. Adstrum was leaning against the wall across from the workbench, his whole front half of his body covered in black ink.

"Fucking hell…" He lifted the face mask and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Adstrum. It's Chase. Listen, you said you would have the newest weapon finished today, right?"

Adstrum looked over near the basement stairs at a large metal case. Inside was the weapon he had finished last night. "Yes dude. I was planning on bringing it in tonight."

"Well, could you bring it to me sooner? Barry just called me and said that a bunch of inklings keep bugging him about the newest weapon. Asking him when is it coming and why it's not here yet. He's getting annoyed."

"Dude, you know I hate surprises. I have it finished, but I was planning to bring it to you later today."

"Well, bring it asap. If you have it finished then get over here now. We need to test it out."

"Ugh, fine!" He hung up and walked over to the workbench. He picked up the Ink Tank and motorcycle gas tank and placed them over near the other parts of the dismantled bike.

"Son of a bitch, I had planned to work on this other weapon today. I hate it when my plans get ruined by surprises!" He walked over to the stairs and grabbed the case. He headed for the garage and went in, instantly placing the case in the secondary seat of his car and using a chain to secure it in place. He got in the driver's seat and pressed a button on a remote. The garage door opened and he immediately took off. But as he got to a traffic light he saw that there was a lot of traffic today.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

* * *

After about an hour of waiting through traffic and going through detours due to construction he finally arrived at the restaurant. He got out and grabbed the case from the second seat. He immediately headed for the entrance, not noticing that there was another car in the parking lot. He walked in and went straight up to the bar.

"About time, dude. What took you so long?" Chase saw the look of annoyance on Adstrum's face. "What's your problem?"

"Shut up, man. I'm peeved." He set the case on the counter and sat down. "Your phone call caused me to bump into a new ink bomb I was working on, causing it to go off. Then I had to wait through traffic and construction detours for about an hour. So now I'm peeved."

"You are too easily annoyed and pissed off."

"I know I am." He growled.

"Well, is the newest weapon in this case? What is it?"

"I found something similar to it in the woods a few days ago. In an old building that looked ancient. I think the humans used to use it. Or worship it or something. It was in a glass case when I found it. I found some ammo for said weapon in the same case and shot it. The rounds seemed to split into multiple pieces. And this weapon had two barrels. So I made a turf weapon that-"

"HEY YOU!" A bright violet girl walked up to him.

"Mother...Fucker...What now?" He turned and saw an angry inkling woman walking towards him. "What?!"

"You scared my sister yesterday… All I'm asking is for you to apologize…"

He looked over at the table she was pointing at and saw the scared inkling shivering. But for some reason he didn't notice Jewel. The small pink inkling started crying.

"I didn't even say anything yet. Is she the roller user from the turf war? Look, I'm sorry for scaring her. Now please leave me alone."

"There… See Anna? Now stop crying. Don't mess with her again..." She walked back.

"It was a turf war. Jeez. Not my fault she got put on the other team. I was just showing what the Ink Claws could do." He turned back toward the bar and sighed.

"Whatever asshole…" Clair muttered under her breath.

"Overprotective bitch." Adstrum muttered.

Chase stood there in silence not saying a word. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Clair finally sit back down. "Oh man. For a second I thought you two were going to get into a fist fight or something."

"I was actually kind of hoping for it. I need to take my anger out on something."

"Why don't we just go test the weapon?" He opened the door to the kitchen and gestured to Adstrum. "Let's go out back to the firing range."

"Alright." He grabbed the case and walked through the door towards the back.

* * *

Callie watched as Clair sat back down, still having an angry look on her face.

"I officially hate this place…." Clair muttered, "As much as I would like punching the daylights out of him, this is my only uniform. I don't think Renay would like me coming in looking unprofessional…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen. But he was so nice when I met him two days ago." Callie took a bite out of her burger.

"Is he gone?" Annabelle hid under the table.

"Don't worry, he's gone. Well, he's not in the building at least."

"Don't worry about him." Clair started eating her salad. "He won't bother you."

"He seemed so nice when I first met him." Callie threw a fry into her mouth.

"Well, guess we don't become friends with the same crowd… I get sleepy sew master and you get them."

Chase had walked back inside the restaurant and went over to the table they were at. "I'm sorry if my friend had offended you in any way or if he pissed you off. He's normally much more likable, but today's been kind of annoying for him. I personally think he's overreacting."

"Sure… Coulda fool me…" Clair rolled her eyes

Adstrum barged through the kitchen door and looked around until he spotted Chase. "Dude, how do I turn on the practice dummies agai-?..." He stopped talking when he spotted Callie sitting at the table looking over at him.

Annabelle hid under the table again. Clair just looked at him uncaringly.

His face turned red and his eyes widened. "Uuuhh. Uuuummm. N-nevermind. I-I...uhh." He turned around and walked back toward the kitchen door, but not before tripping over his own feet. "Oof, fuck! Oh, man! I look like a dumbass!" He ran through the kitchen door.

"I think I'll just get the check. Here's my money." Clair gave Chase 5000 cash, "Keep the change. I'll be waiting in the car with Anna."

"Ma'am, your bill was only...Nevermind. Thanks for coming. Again, I'm so sorry about what happened."

"It's cool. Never coming back anyways."

"We hope to see you beautiful ladies again soon!"

Callie turned toward him and signaled him to shut up, but it was already said.

Clair's tentacles bubbled again, but she stormed out. She did punch a dent in her car.

Callie turned to Chase. "She doesn't like being hit on."

Chase looked confused. "Seriously? What woman doesn't like being complimented?"

"It was a huge problem…" Annabelle squeaked from under the table, "They kept annoying her so she grew to hate it."

"Really? Well, maybe she should learn to lighten u-" He was interrupted by a plate hitting the back of his head. "OW!" He turned and saw Adstrum in the doorway.

"Learn to shut up already, dude."

"I'MSORRY!" Annabelle ran away

Adstrum rolled his eyes. "Really?" He watched her run out the door but his eyes were caught by Clair walking up to his car. "Don't do it. Don't do it."

She just started writing or something on a book. Clair gave the book to Annabelle and they started drawing together. They seemed to be laughing and giggling at something.

"Oh, good. She didn't kick it or something." He looked at Callie and gave a nervous smile. "Sorry about the...um...s-sorry." He turned around and headed toward the back again.

Callie looked at him with a confused look before heading out the door. 'He seemed angry and annoyed, but as soon as he saw me the anger seemed to disappear. What's up with that?' She walked up to Clair and Annabelle. "What are you two laughing at?"

They showed her a picture of his car and him "messed up".

"Okay, you two are so immature."

"But his face is soo funny." Annabelle laughed.

Callie sighed and headed for the car. But before she could get in she heard some tires screech. She turned around and saw another car in the parking lot. The driver door opened and an inkling with a non emotional look on his face. He walked over to Adstrum's car and studied it. "So he's here." He looked over at Clair and Annabelle and recognized the pink one. "You're the one he didn't splat. Nice job. He walked back over to his car and opened the back seat.

"Do you have business with us?" Clair stepped in front of her sister.

"Not with you. Just need to make up for my win streak being ruined." He pulled out a charger from the back seat of his car.

 **Author's Note: Another Chapter! Alright, thanks to Xpl0deak1tty for leaving a review. Yeah, I try to keep it realistic. And yeah, Adstrum is the tough guy that can't talk to girls. Just like me! Except minus the tough guy part. Thanks to everyone who is currently reading this fic. See ya next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 8: Discoveries Made

Chapter 8: Discoveries made

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

"He's not gonna like me for this…" Clair swiftly kicks a rock into the side of Adstrum's car to sound the alarm. About five seconds later said inkling came running out of the restaurant holding a gun with double barrels.

"You seriously couldn't leave my car alone?! You're lucky I have the turret turned off at the moment!" He saw a familiar sniper in front of him. "Oh, you had a different reason. I still don't like-..." He was cut off by Clair.

"Just wanted no surprises I know how you work… you arrogant ass." Clair looked at the sniper, "Humph no surprise for you…"

"Shut up, bitch." He looked over at the sniper. "You still don't know how to surrender, huh? The match is over stupid!"

The sniper said nothing as he looked at Adstrum.

"Come on guys let's go" Clair opened her car, "This is getting ugly"

"Still acting like a brick wall? Holy fuck, dude. Say something or at least show some emotion on your fa-!" He was cut off by the sound of a charger shot. He looked down at the gun in his hand and saw that the concentrated ink shot bounced off his weapon. He looked over at Clair's car and saw her windshield was cracked with a blue spot of ink on it. "You missed. My turn." He aimed the double barreled weapon at the inkling in front of him and pulled the trigger, leaving a large area in front of him covered in black ink. The sniper however was hardly damaged at all. Only one spot of black ink hit him. "Prototype testing note #1: Has short range." He started dashing toward the charger user.

Clair's tentacle boiled as she walked out to her trunk. She pulled out a pair of Splat Dualies.

"Clair, calm down." Callie said.

"Clair! Let's not…." Annabelle muttered.

"I'LL. KILL. THEM…" Clair cocked her pistols.

The sniper aimed at Adstrum again but misfired due to getting tackled by said inkling. Clair shot ink needles at them which stuck into the ground and exploded one at a time. Adstrum and the emotionless inkling rolled around on the ground exchanging punches, narrowly avoiding the small explosions.

"Okay, what is happening?!" Callie screamed. A spot of violet ink landed on the left side of her face. "Oh, come on." She wiped it off, unknowingly wiping off some of her makeup.

She pointed the guns at them. She fired into the sky and it began raining needles. Adstrum looked up and saw the incoming needle rain. He punched the inkling once more before getting up and running from the incoming downpour. The sniper got up as well but was unable to avoid getting an ink needle stuck in his back. It exploded, covering him in violet ink. Several more stabbed into him and exploded until she stopped firing. A single blue squid ghost flew off toward an unknown location, likely a hospital or something. Adstrum looked at Clair.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET ASS WIPE!" Clair roared as she fired at the sniper's car and it was littered with holes and probably unusable.

"Thanks." Adstrum walked over to where he dropped the experimental weapon. He picked it up and placed it on his back. "Not the first time someone's personally come after me after I beat them in a turf war." He noticed the damage to the sniper's car. "You feeling better?"

"YOU'RE NEXT…" Clair was enraged as her pistols clicked.

"Alright. Bring it."

"NO!" Annabelle hugged her. "S-sorry… She gets out of hand when she's mad…"

Adstrum looked at Annabelle. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm kind of the same. I'm just easily annoyed by even the smallest things."

"Clair is a nice person I swear… It's my fault she acted that way toward you. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? You impress me. People usually don't avoid getting splatted by me in turf wars. You avoided me pretty much the entire match. That was impressive."

Clair growled.

"I am afraid of you honestly… and she tried to protect me… I shouldn't be afraid. I was hiding the whole match… or at least inking places where nobody was..."

"You did a great job that match. Nicely done."

Clair quieted down a bit. Her tentacles stopped bubbling.

"You are actually really nice…" Annabelle replied.

"When I'm not mad or annoyed, that is."

"... I guess I owe you an apology too… Sorry." Clair regained her composure.

"That's okay." Adstrum saw Jewel walking over, causing his face to immediately turn red. "Uuuuhhhh...Hi…" He noticed what looked like a birthmark under her left eye. 'Was that there before?'

She looked at him with a confused look. "Why is your ink black? There's something strange about you?"

"Jew- OH Hey! " She turned Callie around and whispered to her. "Your make up…."

"What?" She quickly covered her left cheek with her hand. "Oh no. Do you think he noticed?"

"How would I know?... Just go fix it…"

"Okay, yeah." She turned and saw Adstrum walking backwards toward the door.

"Um, I'm going to go back inside now. It was nice meeting all of you." He turned around and saw Chase standing in the doorway holding a Custom Splattershot Jr. "You're a little late, buddy. Get inside."

"Okay, what happened?"

"Nothing important, just get inside. We need to talk." He started pushing Chase through the doorway.

"But-" He was cut off by Adstrum now shoving him.

"Get inside the building now." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"Likewise! I guess we may come back anyways... " Clair shoved Callie back into the car.

"Oof, okay." She opened her purse and pulled out her makeup. She brought down the overhead mirror and started reapplying it.

Annabelle climbed into the back seat. Clair started the car and started driving.

"I now need a new car…" Clair sighed.

"No, all you need is a new windshield." Callie looked in front of her and saw the blue ink spot in front of her. "What's up with the chargers in this city?"

"He was one of my teammates that got taken down…" Annie replied

"Oh, okay." Callie thought for a moment. "But I meant the weapon itself. I thought they only shot a trail of ink."

"They are more violent here so a bullet made of ink is shot when it's fully charged. It will otherwise fire a trail."

"Rollers have barbed wires, Sloshers freeze ink into needles like Clair's dual pistols.

"Oh." Callie leaned back in her seat. "I kind of want to try one of those turf wars now. But not for a while."

"You do?" Clair seemed surprised

"Kind of. But I want to think about it."

* * *

Adstrum was pacing back and forth inside the restaurant. Chase was busy wiping down the table the girls used.

"Dude, calm down. What are you worked up about?"

"I...I can't say. Okay?"

"Why?"

"For reasons. Just...agh." He placed his hands against his forehead.

"Alright. But can you do that pacing somewhere else?"

"Fine." He headed for the back door. When he got out back he continued pacing. "I finally realized it. I freaking knew it. That's why my anger disappeared when I looked at her. That's why she was so familiar. That birthmark is unmistakable. Jewel Rime is Callie." A look of realization hit his face. "Jewel is Callie. Jewel is Callie. Oh my gosh, I hit on Callie. Oh, shit. Oh." He started panicking. "She probably thinks I'm an idiot. And her friend was mad at me...Oh, crap." He leaned against the wall. "Okay. Okay. Calm down and shut up, Adstrum. It's okay. Just pretend all this never happened…..Oh, jeez, I tried flirting with Callie."

Someone walked into the bar.

"Hey… can I have… a milk shake Chase?"

"Huh, oh sure. I'll get you one." He grabbed a glass and started making the shake. "I didn't expect to see you here again, Cici."

"Your… front's a … mess…"

"Yeah. A little fight happened out there. But it's been resolved."

"Ah… I need to make more clothes for Jewel. I thought some ice cream would help, but drinking is better than chewing…"

"Okay. Jewel, huh? She was just here. A friend of mine is currently out back freaking out over it."

"Oh…. your friend? The... loud one? He is... usually here..."

"Yep. That's the one. He was so uncomfortable around her, though. He never acted like that in front of any other girl. Except this one time he came close to meeting Callie back when he lived in Inkopolis."

"Well, she is pretty close to Callie's measurements…" She yawned, "I should know I made clothes for the Squid Sister for awhile… In fact sometimes I think I call her Callie… in my sleep."

"She does look like Callie, but I try not to jump to conclusions. There are a lot of people that look like Callie. Most of the time they try to look like her on purpose."

"I have measurements… those are hard to fake… but I never seen her... I usually am asleep when she comes into work…"

"Of course you are." He placed the shake in front of the half asleep inkling. "There you are."

"Here's… your money… just in case…" She pays him, takes a few sips and falls asleep.

"You are out." He hopped across the counter and pinched a specific spot on Cici's waist, making her eyes shoot open.

"Owie…. You're mean…"

"That's literally the only way to keep you awake. I'm sorry. You need someone to keep you awake at work." He looked through the window to the kitchen.

"But I like sleeping…"

"I know you do, but you need to keep that job."

"I learned how to do things while I sleep…"

"Fair enough."

"Is something bothering you?"

"Yeah. Adstrum. I think he needs a break from making new turf war weapons. He's not going to like it, but maybe you can invite me and him to your work one day. Show us around. Maybe meet some cute models." He said that last part under his breath.

"Oh, alright… I'll go ask him if he's interested."

At that moment Adstrum walked through the kitchen door. "Chase, I left the weapon and the instructions on how to use it in the case. Go test it whenever you want."

"Hey, you wanna go to the studio tomorrow...?" Cici asked

"Studio?" Adstrum looked confused.

"She meant the Biolumin-essense building. You need to take a break from your weapon making."

"I'm a tailor there and make all the…. Clothes...zzz" Cici fell asleep.

"Wait, you mean where…? Uh. No. Yes? No? Yes. Uh, I don't know."

"Jewel...zzz... will be there tomorrow...zzz"

"...Yes….."

"...Okay...zzz…8:00 in the morning. Here's my...zzz cardzzz" She pulled out a card from her pocket.

Adstrum took the card and walked out of the restaurant. He got in his car and sat there for a few moments before realization hit. "Wait, what did I just agree to?"

 **Author's Note: Another chapter for you readers! YAY! Alright, thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving a very good review. It was very informative. Also thanks to Apikachua for helping me with writing this story. I don't really have anything else to say here. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit off or so. It kind of seems like it to me. But it's up to you if you think this chapter is weird. Alright, see ya next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 9: Hanging at Work

Chapter 9: Hanging at work

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

Cici was sleeping yet again under the pile of clothes. It was around 7:30 when her phone went off. She checked it and saw it was Chase calling.

"Hello?..."

"Hey, do we just meet you at the Biolumin-essense building?"

"Yeah… tellzzz… Annabelle… you're...my guests…"

"Alright. See ya there." He hung up the phone and looked over at the shotgun seat of his car. Adstrum was sitting there, one eye closed while the other was half open. He shook his head real quick, as if refusing to fall back asleep.

"You know, for someone who hates sleep you sure refused to leave your bed this morning. How many times did I ring your doorbell again?"

"...Is it weird that your bed is so uncomfortable at night, but when you wake up in the morning it is the most comfortable thing?"

"Are you listening to me, Adstrum?"

He slowly shook his head. "No. No. Nope. Heheh. I'm so tired. But I refuse to nap or fall back asleep! I'm already awake!"

"Yeah, barely." He looked back at the road just as the light they stopped at turned green. He drove forward and continued down the road.

* * *

Meanwhile Cici had fallen back to sleep in the pile of clothes, not noticing an inkling walk up with her hands on her hips.

"Cici… WAKE UP!" Clair bonked her on the head with a clipboard.

"Owie…" Cici opened her eyes half way, "morning…. Clair… I more clothes for Callie… Oh… wait… I mean Jewel… sorry their measurements are so similar."

"Get it right!" Clair smacked her with a rolled up newspaper

* * *

Just outside the building Chase had parked his car in the closest parking garage and he and Adstrum were currently walking down the sidewalk. Chase seemed to be wide awake while Adstrum was carrying a half-full 2-liter bottle of caffeinated soda.

"Dude, why don't you just drink coffee?" He looked over and saw Adstrum with his mouth open and his tongue sticking out in response, a look of disgust on his face. Chase facepalmed and walked up to the front door of the Biolumin-essense building. He opened it and walked in, quickly followed by Adstrum.

"Welcom- Oh hello mister and mister waiter." Annabelle looked surprised, "What bring you guys here?"

Adstrum quickly chugged the rest of his soda. "Ah! Delicious. Hey, Annabelle." He covered his mouth as a belch came out. "Sorry. Ask Chase. I don't remember."

"We were invited by my friend Cici to come hang out with her at work."

"Oh okay… That's pretty rare for her to leave the studio… Oh well, I'll let her know. They are on the 25th floor. The elevator is to the left over there."

"Thank you." Chase started walking toward the elevator.

"Thanks Annabelle." Adstrum's eyes were slightly more open now. He rubbed them real quick. "I'll catch up with Chase in a bit. How have you been?"

"Pretty good. As long as a certain model doesn't show up"

"Who? Ca-JEWEL?" He quickly corrected himself.

"What?! No, she's very nice… and she's already up stairs."

Adstrum's eyes widened when he heard that, practically wide awake now. "Wait, she's already here? Oh boy. Alright. That's cool...Heheh. So what model are you talking about?"

"She's very loud you'll probably hear or see her later…. Anyways have a great time."

"Okay. I'll try. Thank you. See ya later." He headed for the elevator and pressed the button for the 25th floor. He was looking around the hall he was walking down, not knowing where he had to go. He saw Chase waiting for him next to a door labeled Studio, but when they walked in they saw something that made them nearly burst out laughing.

"WAKE UP DAMN YOU!" Clair was shaking Cici.

"Zzzz...zzz" Cici was not phased.

"HAHA! That's funny!" Adstrum was smiling at the sight he saw.

"Huh? Oh it's you from yesterday." Clair dropped Cici.

"Yeah. Sergeant Sleeps-a-lot there invited us to come see where she works."

"Zzz yeszzz I did...zzz." Cici curled up again.

Chase walked up to Cici. "Are you ever awake for more than five minutes?"

"Zzzzz." She shook her head.

"Of course not." He looked over at Clair. "I can tell you get annoyed with her."

"She tells me there are more clothes and she doesn't go get them! It's like this every time!"

"I see." He reached down to Cici's waist and pinched it, causing her eyes to shoot open for a second.

"OW!" Cici rubbed her side. "Meanie…."

"Just go get the clothes real quick and we won't bother you anymore, okay?" Chase folded his arms and gave a playful grin.

"...Fine…" Cici looked a bit annoyed as she rubbed her side.

"Sorry. Next milkshake you get is free, okay?"

"Okay…" She walks to a chest near the wall and goes into it. She pulls out a nice evening gown, a leather jacket, a ruffled skirt, and some different colored tees.

"Excuse me, but who are these two?" Everyone looked in the doorway to see Renay standing there. "Are they new crew members?"

"My… Guests..." Cici yawned from inside the chest.

"Oh. You invited two inklings to see the studio?" She looked them over. "Well, they could wear something better. But at least you don't look like trash."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Adstrum looked slightly annoyed.

"I… can make them… clothes… for male pictures...zzzz." Cici began snoring again, her tentacles were sticking out of the chest.

"Hm…" She looked at Adstrum and Chase again, then looked at Chase a bit longer. "Well, he looks good enough to model some clothing. And we would pay him." Chase had a slight smug look on his face.

"Don't encourage him." Adstrum shook his head back and forth. Renay looked over at him.

"And you. You could probably model some jeans and jackets. But I need to see your face first. Could you please remove your hood so that we could get a good look?"

Adstrum immediately grabbed his hood with both hands and held like it was a matter between life and death. "The hood stays where it is, ma'am."

"Alright. Alright. Well, glad you finished some outfits, Cici. Finally."

"Have...zzz many…just…too lazzzy…" Her tentacles twitched.

"Of course you are." Renay felt some movement in her hair.

"Um, Renay. M-miss Rime is still waiting for an outfit." Sanz said nervously.

"Callie's? Zzzz…wait…that's not right…." Cici muttered, "I'll…give it to her…"

Adstrum's eyes widened again and his face turned red. 'Why'd she say that? Does she know too?'

Cici slid out of the chest and lazily picked up the clothes. She walked to the dressing room.

"Caaalllliiie? Your ….wait…sorry I mean Jewel…here you go…"

Callie looked over and saw Cici dropping the clothes on to her. She shook her head slowly. "Cici, why do you always call me Callie? My name is Jewel." She had a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Well… You two have the exact same measurements… That's rare… you could be her twin if I didn't know any better… also I never saw you before… my eyes are usually closed like they are right now."

Callie started to sweat a bit. "A-alright. Go back to the studio please. I need to get changed." She pulled out a purple evening gown from the pile of outfits. "I think I'll start with this."

"Okay… good night…" Cici waddled away back to the studio and into the chest.

"STOP CALLING HER CALLIE!" Clair dropped a textbook on her.

"OOF!...Old habitszzz die hard…." Cici's tentacles dropped the book out of the chest, and snores echoed inside.

After a few minutes Callie walked into the studio ready for the first photo shoot when her eyes widened at the sight of Adstrum and Chase standing in the studio. 'What are they doing here?' She thought as she saw Renay and Adstrum arguing.

"C'mon. Just a peek?"

"No means no. The hood isn't coming down. No matter what."

"What's under there that you don't want us seeing?"

"None of your damn business. That's what."

"...hmm…" Clair took Cici out of the chest. "Can you make a scarf?"

Cici snored and swam into the chest. After a while she pushed out a silky silver scarf.

"Okay a black leather jacket with a gray t- shirt."

Couple minutes later Cici pushed the shirt and jacket out.

"Um, what's that for?" Chase asked, a look of curiosity on his face.

"It's for you."

"Oh, really? Well, can't wait to try it all on."

"Excuse me." Callie spoke up. Everyone turned to look at her, Adstrum's face turning red again. "Are we going to do this photo shoot or not?"

"Oops, Cici, blue jeans and a fedora." Clair walked to Zack and the camera crew. "Alright, stop gawking and start shooting people!"

Cici pushed out the jeans and a fedora.

"What's with the jeans and fedora?" Chase asked. "Am I wearing that too?"

"Zzzz dressing room… over there...zzz I think I remember… your measurement…zzz… try them…"

"Okay. I will after Jewel finishes."

Callie walked up to the green screen and got into position. Adstrum sat down in a nearby chair and said nothing. He watched her pose for the camera and didn't move during the moments where she went to change into a different outfit. But he wasn't looking at her body or the outfits she was wearing. It was her face that grabbed his attention. He was captivated. However, he thought something wasn't right. But he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Alright, Jewel. Thank you. We got all the pictures we need. You did a great job." Renay spoke up.

"You're welcome, Renay." Callie started walking toward the door, ready to change out of the skirt she was wearing.

Cici sleep-climbed up Clair and nuzzled into her tentacles. Clair tried to get her off but Cici refused to let go. After a while she gave up. Callie saw this and let out a small giggle.

A small smile lit up on Adstrum's face. 'That's what was missing. That smile of her's. There's the face I remember seeing on that lovely inkling.' He thought as he watched her leave the room.

"I could get a photo of your new hat Clair." Zack grinned.

"You want a camera up your ass?" Clair bubbled.

"Alright, guess I need to go get changed now, right?" Chase spoke up as he headed for the door. "I'll be back momentarily."

"And I'm out." Adstrum said as he got up. "I'm going to go see what else there is to find in this building."

"Okay, I hope you like it."

Adstrum started heading for the elevator, just as Callie stepped out of the changing room wearing a pair of jean shorts, a purple tee, and her hair in a ponytail. She stepped out of the way so Chase could go in and saw Adstrum walking down the hall. She ran up to him. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

He turned and saw her running toward him, causing him to immediately turn back around and his face to turn red yet again. "Uh, the one who sleeps alot invited me and Chase to see her workplace." He reached the elevator and called it. "I might go see what your friend Annabelle is up to."

Realization appeared on Callie's face. "Oh no. Anita." She quickly got into the elevator and started frantically hitting the button for the first floor.

"Wait, who?" Adstrum stepped onto the elevator confused.

* * *

"My ears…." Annabelle was hiding under the desk.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" Anita was yelling once again.

The elevator door opened and Callie immediately ran toward the front desk. Adstrum stepped out and was shocked to see what was happening.

"Anna!" Callie ran behind the desk and pulled her into a hug. "Anita, leave her alone!"

"Oh? It's you…" Anita put her hand on her hip.

"Go away now, bitch. You have no reason to bother Anna."

"SHE OWES ME A DRINK!"

"She doesn't owe you anything. Get lost!"

"Um, who the fuck is this?" Adstrum walked up, curious about what was happening.

"No need to worry about it, Adstrum. This is just the dumb whore that shouldn't have been hired." Callie looked at Anita with an angry scowl.

"WHAT? THAT'S BULL SHIT!" Anita seemed furious.

"Ever since you were hired multiple receptionists have quit, Renay has had to get a lot of new secretaries, and Anna here is scared of working. Get lost!"

"WHY I-" A violet needle nearly hit Anita's face.

"Get. Lost. NOW!" Clair growled

"GOD YOU GUYS ARE UNBELIEVABLE!" Anita started walking toward the elevator. "SHE STILL OWES ME A DRINK!"

"Alright, I see why you guys hate her." Adstrum stood in Anita's path and grabbed her by the throat. He started dragging her toward the elevator, a look of anger on his face. "Listen here. I personally can't stand narcissists, especially one who is as much of a cunt as you." He threw her into the open elevator and pressed a random button. "But I'm letting you off with a warning. Leave Clair, Anna, and especially Jewel alone or I will personally rip out your eyes and shove them up your ass, you absolute pile of worthless whore trash!" The elevator door closed and Adstrum walked back over to the front desk. "You okay, Anna?"

"My ears are ringing, but I'm okay." Annabelle smiled. "I can never make her drink right, so she blows up."

Callie stared at Adstrum for a few moments before turning her focus onto the pink inkling in her arms. "Anna, stop doing what Anita says. She's not your boss."

"But I thought it would shut her up… I was wrong…"

"Never let people like her get their way. They'll just take advantage of it and never let it go." Adstrum said to her.

"I...made… Callie another...dresszzzzz" Cici gurgled in her sleep on Clair's head.

"GET OFF!" Clair tried to pull her off, but she couldn't.

"Well, I'm going to go elsewhere. Is there an employee lounge or break room in this building? I may not work here, but that hasn't stopped me before. I just want a room to sit alone in." Adstrum spoke up.

"There is...zzz…. an attic. Nobody will bug you there..."

"You mean the storage room, Cici." Callie said.

"There iszzz fabric inside of there. Makes nicezzzz couchzzz."

"Okay." He headed for the elevator. "Well, see ya Annabelle. See ya Clair. See ya Cal-JEWEL! Jewel! Uh. See ya, Jewel." He turned back toward the elevator, his face red yet again.

"Later!" Annabelle waved.

"Um, okay. See ya…" She looked toward Clair. "Did he just call me…?"

"Should I shut him up forever?" Clair asked.

"No." Callie stood up. "I'll go talk to him. Maybe it was a mistake. I mean, Cici calls me Callie by accident sometimes." She let out a little nervous laugh. "She just did it now."

"Silly mister… zzz He can't get in without a key...zzzz." Cici nuzzled into Clair more.

"Um, that won't stop him." The voice of Chase said. Everyone looked over and saw him wearing his clothes he wore earlier that day. "Unless the door to whatever room you guys are talking about has something blocking the crack under the door."

"He...breakszzz you pay Chaszzzee."

Annabelle petted Cici and said sleepy inkling climbed onto Annabelle's head.

"When did you get here?" Callie asked Chase.

"Just now. I got off the elevator when Adstrum got on. Anyway, he won't break the door down. He's just going to splash ink at the bottom of the door and swim under it." He got multiple confused looks. "You guys didn't know we can do that? We can squeeze through grates, for pete's sake."

Callie started heading for the elevator. "I'll be back."

"Alright, we'll be here." Clair waved.

 **Author's Note: And yet another chapter! YAY! Alright, thank you everyone who are reading this fic. Go ahead and leave a review if you want. But remember the rule from the prologue. Alright, see ya next update!**


	11. Chapter 10: A friendly conversation

Chapter 10: A friendly conversation

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

The elevator reached the highest floor it could before Callie had to step off and go up one flight of stairs to reach her destination. At the top of the stairs was a door with a key card scanner next to it. She approached the door and was about to swipe the card when she noticed that there was some black ink under her feet leading under the door. She smiled and shook her head, scanning the keycard and opening the door as she did so. She looked inside the storage room and saw Adstrum sitting against a large pile of fabric, a pair of headphones over his head. He had his eyes half closed and he was staring off into space. Callie approached him and tapped on his shoulder. He blinked and looked up at her, taking his headphones off.

"Uhhhh. Hi. Why'd you come up here?" Adstrum was obviously nervous.

"Well, you said something you probably didn't mean to say on your way to the elevator. I need to know, did you accidentally call me Callie for some reason? Was it because Cici did it?"

"Um, it's because, um...uh…" His eyes kept looking around, trying to avoid Callie's gaze. He then closed his eyes and sighed before reopening them and staring at the ex-Squid Sister. "Look, Callie, I know it's you. I found out yesterday when your makeup was gone and your birthmark was revealed." He pointed to the spot under Callie's left eye where said mark was supposed to be, but it was currently covered by makeup. "Look, I won't say anything. I won't ask any questions. You're hiding your identity for a reason and while I am curious I won't get up in your business."

Callie was speechless. She walked over to a spot across from Adstrum and sat against a different pile of fabric. "Really? You aren't going to ask anything?" She saw his head shake in response. "Wow. You are different from other people. Last time someone knew about this they asked tons of questions. But luckily Clair got tired of asking and stopped."

"So Clair's the only one that knows?"

"Hey, I thought you weren't going to ask questions." Callie folded her arms and had a smirk on her face.

"Ah, ya got me." Adstrum smiled. "Sorry."

"Heheh. Well, if you're not asking questions then I will. Who are you?" She looked at him with a look of suspicion.

"Just an inkling who can't stand narcissism in the slightest despite being a tad narcissistic myself. That's one thing I hate about myself. I'm a loner, yet I love having a social life. How the heck does that work? I'm an inkling who was punished for doing his best and now live as a weapon inventor for the most violent turf wars on the planet." Adstrum leaned back against the fabric more.

"Punished for doing your best? What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it." His face turned into a frown. "Fucking stupid as hell rigged results…" He muttered under his breath. Callie picked up on this.

"Rigged results? What do you mean?"

"Please drop it." He grabbed his head with both hands. "AUGH! Bad memories. Bad memories! Get out of my fucking head!" He started punching himself in the forehead. "Why won't you die, memories!"

"Hey! Don't do that!" She reached over and grabbed his hand, stopping him from hitting himself anymore. "Look, why don't we change the subject. Maybe…" She thought about it for a moment before a subject popped into her head. "I see that you like turf war, ummm is it fun?"

He looked at Callie for a moment. "Yeah. It is fun. And you know that they are. Are you talking about the ones in this city?" He saw her nod her head. "Well, yes. They are a bit more exciting when you know you might end up in the hospital afterward. But if you don't end up with an injury then you go home with a ton of cash and a huge grin on your face knowing you avoided a world of pain."

"I see. Ummm, if you don't mind…. Could you show me the ropes?"

He looked at her confused. "It's just like turf wars back in Inkopolis. The team with the most turf covered wins. The weapons are just more violent. And there are no rules saying you can't punch someone. Including your own teammates if they get in your way….And yes, I am guilty of doing that a few times. But those were on days I was already annoyed."

"You don't understand…. I um, haven't been in a turf war in ages…"

He looked into Callie's eyes. "Oh. Well, I can definitely help you get back into the swing of things if you want. Something tells me you'll remember how to play the second you get a roller back in your hands."

"How did you know I used to use a roller?"

"You've hinted at it in your news broadcasts."

"Hm. Alright. Well…" She looked over at the ink under the door. "I'm curious what's under that hood of yours. I think it's obvious by now what color your hair is, so why not show it to me?"

Adstrum looked up at Callie and smiled. "Well, since you know what color my ink is…" He reached up and slowly pulled down his hood. When he got it off his inky black hair hung at the sides of his head. "I don't like wearing those hairbands." He looked over at Callie and saw her mouth was agape. "Why are you shocked? You have black hair as well. Wait, don't tell me you dye it."

Callie rubbed her arm. "Um, no I don't dye it, but technically my hair isn't supposed to be black. My natural ink color is magenta." She turned into a squid real quick, her color being magenta like she said. She turned back to humanoid form, a look of embarrassment on her face. "The reason my hair is black is because it is a birth defect. My true ink color is shown on the tips of my tentacles. Or the color my ink currently is. It's also the reason my natural eye color is gold."

"Really? That's...cool. But wait, why are your eyes green right now?"

She giggled. "I'm wearing fake contacts, silly." She looked at his hair again. "So that's your natural Ink color?"

"Yeah." He let out a quick little laugh. "My ink may look like oil, but at least I wasn't born with white hair. Heheh….That would still be pretty cool actually. I think there used to be a rumor about a boy with white hair."

"Oh… My cousin was…" She rubbed her arm.

"Sorry, Callie, but I personally don't care about Marie. I do not like her."

"Yeah, I remember you saying that the night we met." She folded her arms. "I currently don't like her right now, either."

"Really? Oh, now you've made me curious. Augh! You made it so much harder not to ask questions!"

"Heh, well, maybe some other time I'll tell you. But for now…" She got up and headed for the door. "I'm going to go and hang out with Clair and Anna until they have to go home." She then opened her purse and pulled out a pen and paper. She quickly scribbled something down and handed it to him. "Let's talk again some other time."

Adstrum looked at the paper and looked extremely confused and unsure of what to do. Callie walked over to the door and opened it to find Chase on the other side, holding his hand to his face.

Callie looked at him with slight concern. "What happened to you?"

"I told Clair she looked like a million dollars and she punched me upside the head."

"YOU STUBBORN MOR-HAHAHAHAHA-ON!" Adstrum could be heard laughing.

"He was asking for it…" Clair was seen coming up the stairs, looking away from Chase.

Callie facepalmed and pointed at Adstrum. "He's in there." She walked down the stairs with Clair back towards the elevator.

Chase walked up to Adstrum and noticed the slip of paper in his hands. "Is that what I think it is?"

Adstrum nodded. "Yep. It's her phone number."

"DUDE! NICELY DONE! YOU GOT JEWEL'S PHONE NUMBER!"

"Yeah." Adstrum smiled, before it was replaced with fear. "Oh boy…"

"No way…" Clair stared at Callie

"Yep." She smirked.

"Well, congrats"

"For what? I gave him it because I trust him." She pressed the call elevator button. 'Although I wouldn't mind talking to him some more.' She thought as the elevator arrived.

"On getting more friends. Come on now you can't be just with me and Anna all the time. You eventually will meet your mate and have kids… Heheh I wanna see how your gramps would react to becoming a great grandsquid."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever." The elevator door closed and both ladies started descending back down to the lobby. "Wait, shut up, Clair!" Callie playfully pushed her, a huge blush appearing on her face.

"Hehe." Clair widely smiled.

 **Author's Note: Alright. Another chapter. I don't know what else to say here. Thank you all for reading this story so far and thank you if you decide to continue reading. See ya next update!**

 **P.S. Yes, the white hair is a reference to another fic on this site called "Pure White." It was a great story and despite it being incomplete and doesn't look like it will ever be completed (I REALLY hope I'm wrong on this and that the author really is still working on it) it is still a good read. I would recommend reading it for what it is.**


	12. Chapter 11: Turf Lessons

Chapter 11: Turf Lessons

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

About two days after the visit to Biolumin-essense Adstrum, Chase, and a certain sleepy inkling were hanging out at the restaurant yet again. Adstrum was drinking a soda can, a pile of about eight empty next to him, Chase was cleaning some glasses behind the bar, and Cici was, of course, face down on the counter with a milk shake next to her.

"So Adstrum…" Chase broke the silence. "You call her yet?"

"No." He took another sip from his soda, emptying the can and placing it with the others. Chase slid him another and he immediately opened it. "I don't know when is a good time to call. I wouldn't know what to say to her."

"Zzzz…." Cici started nibbling her sleeve. "...candyzz…."

"Aw, Cici." Chase reached over and pulled her sleeve out of her mouth. "Your precious."

"She's a precious sleepy inkling." Adstrum looked at her.

"Bed…" She turned into a squid and climbed into a box of napkins. "zzz...soft…"

"Goddammit, you adorable squid." Chase reached over and emptied the box onto the counter, leaving a pile of napkins that Cici immediately swam onto.

She curled up inside and soft snores gently moved the napkins.

"Cute. Anyway, where were we?" Adstrum drank more of his soda.

"Dude, just call her and ask her out." Chase passed him another soda.

"No. I'm not going to do that. I'm too nervous." He chugged the rest of the can and opened the new one. "I don't know what to say to her."

"Well, I'd ask Cici for advice but she's currently cuddling with the napkins." Chase looked over at said snoring pile of paper.

"'Marry… me…' Girls love that hehe… zzz..."

"What?" Adstrum looked over at her confused.

"Cici, we need advice other than that. Okay? Come on, you've coughed up better advice while sleeping."

"Always… tip… 15 percent…"

"Is she giving good advice or not?" Adstrum was genuinely confused.

"Just ask her to hang out… with everyone...zzz maybe invite her friend to invite her..."

"Okay, now there's the Cici sleep advice we were looking for." Chase patted the pile of napkins. "Thanks, sleepy."

"Yeah… okay… ZZzzzz…"

"Okay. What did she mean by invite her friend to invite her? I have Jewel's number. Do I call her and invite her and her other friend? The one that doesn't like compliments? The one who is easily scared? Um, Clair and Annabelle were their names. Ugh, I'm so confused..." Adstrum held his head in his hands.

"Cell...phone… here…" She brought out her phone.

Chase grabbed the phone from the green tentacle sticking out of the pile of napkins and opened it up. He looked through the contacts and found one named 'Jerk at work that keeps trying to wake me up.' "I'm guessing that's Clair."

"No, Jewel gave me her number to call her with. Should I not use it?"

"Adstrum, stop worrying about it."

"I CAN'T! I'M PANICKING!"

"Be… a...man… and call her already… zzzz." Cici pulled her milkshake toward the pile.

"I...I...I don't know…"

Chase reached over, grabbed the paper with Callie's number out of Adstrum's hand and his phone out of his other hand, and dialed the number. He then placed it back into Adstrum's hand and moved it near his ear.

"What did you just do?" He looked at Chase, who had a huge smirk on his face. He heard someone pick up on the other end.

"Hello?" Callie's voice came through.

"OH! H-hey, J-Jewel. H-how are you? Heheh."

"Oh, I'm good. Just hanging around. What are you doing?"

"I'm just hanging out with Chase and Cici."

"Oh really? What are they doing?"

"Um, Chase is cleaning glasses while Cici is *sigh* sleeping in a pile of napkins."

"Yep, that sounds like her all right. So why did you call me?"

"Um, j-just to see i-if you wanted to h-hang out or something…"

"Well, where would we hang?"

"Um...Uh...I-I don't know actually."

"Heh, well, maybe I'll come to where you are. I'm guessing you are at the restaurant?"

"Yep. I wouldn't really be anywhere else except building stuff in my basement or participating in a turf war. Oh, speaking of which maybe I can help reteach you while you're here."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you there. See ya."

"Okay, see ya." He heard her hung up and he did shortly afterward. He put his phone down and looked up to see Chase smiling at him. "What?"

"You are getting better at talking to girls, dude. You know what you just did?"

"Asked Jewel to come hang out. Duh." Realization hit his face, causing it to turn red. "Holy crap, I asked a girl to hang out."

"You are overreacting. You and I hang out with Cici a lot."

Cici was climbing on the milkshake glass and fell in. She wiggled her tentacles as she sleepily tried to pull herself out.

"That's because you can do stupid stuff in front of her and she just sleeps through it. She's basically the comic relief of this group."

Cici started bubbling from her milkshake. Chase reached over and pulled her out of the glass.

"...I seen the light…." Cici coughed.

"Cici, we worry about you sometimes." Chase placed her back on the pile of napkins.

"I'm still panicking about the Jewel thing…"

"Just put on your headphones and listen to music, Adstrum." Chase grabbed a few napkins and placed them under Cici's mantle, like a pillow. She hugged his fingers in response.

"O-okay." Adstrum took out his headphones and plugged them into his phone. He turned on his music and stared at the wall kind of like in a trance.

Cici continued to cling to Chase's hand.

"Really, Cici? *sigh* Alright." He hopped over the counter and headed toward one of the empty booths. "Just got to wait for her to let go." He looked at the green squid on his arm and yawned. "You're making me tired." He climbed into the empty booth and laid down.

"...warm…." Cici turned back into her humanoid form and rested on him.

"Enjoy it while you can." He knew he was trapped with her laying on him. He just closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

About ten minutes went by when the front door opened. Callie walked in and immediately walked up to the bar. She saw Adstrum with headphone cords leading into his hoodie and saw Chase laying down in a nearby booth with Cici laying on top of him. 'Looks like Cici's sleep is contagious.' She thought as she smiled at the sight. She walked up to Adstrum and tapped on his shoulder. He flinched and turned around.

"Oh, hey Jewel." He noticed Chase asleep with Cici laying on him. "Nevermind. Hey Callie."

"...I used to...zzz design… clothes for Callie…." Cici nuzzled into Chase as she mumbled.

"Go back to sleep, Cici." Callie said to her.

"Okay.. nighty night Callie…zzzZZzzz..."

"Does she know or not?" Adstrum was confused.

"I don't think so. I hope." Callie turned back to him. "So, since Cici and Chase are asleep maybe now would be a good time to reintroduce me to turf wars."

"Um, yeah. I guess now would be a good time as any." Adstrum got up from his seat and walked over to the kitchen door. He opened it for Callie. "After you." She walked through and he led her toward the back door. "There's a firing range in the back. As good a place as any, I hope."

"It will do." Callie smiled as he opened the back door for her.

The back door led to what looked like a weapon testing range. It was kind of similar to the one in Inkopolis as it had lines that marked distance and had inflatable dummies to spray ink with.

"Wow, it's been awhile since I seen dummies like those" Callie poked it and it wiggled.

"Yeah. They're the standard issue kind. I do have some better ones, though." He walked up to the wall nearby and pressed a button on it. Some of the inflatable dummies started moving on some conveyor belts, some fast and some slow.

"It's moving! Wow I didn't see anything like this, before."

"Yeah, you'd think they would make moving practice targets but nope. Apparently the manufacturers never thought of moving targets during turf wars." Adstrum shook his head slowly in disappointment.

"Welp, I don't know. They were something else ages ago. It's great how technology advances. Did you make these though?"

"Yep. Wish I could have made them faster, but at least they move."

"Wow, that's still amazing" Callie beamed. "You're amazing"

"Um, thanks." His face turned red. "Um, you want a roller, right?" He opened a crate of weapons and reached inside. "What kind?"

"A regular Splat Roller is good."

"Gotcha." He pulled out said weapon and handed it to Callie. "You remember how to use this, right?"

"Believe so…" She splashed ink at a dummy, "and I can run around with it, but um, what's with the spikes?"

"The barbed wire? Sorry, but those are the kind used in this city. I haven't really seen anyone use weapons not modified to be more violent. I think we do have a crate of unmodified weapons, though."

"Oh… That's okay. It's just surprising, but that explains Clair's Splat Dualies shooting sharp spikes."

"Yep. Made to hurt." He watched Callie cover the ground in magenta ink and attack a few more dummies. "You are doing very well."

"Thanks."

"Do you know the best way to take out a target that's hiding around a corner?"

"Um, I think. Care to show me, though?"

Adstrum reached into the crate and pulled out a Krak-On Roller. "Sure. Follow me." He led her over to another area of the testing range. It had a lot of paths and corners, like Port Mackerel.

"First we take on a target that knows we are after them and are trying to hide around a corner." He covered the ground at his feet in black ink and turned into a squid. He swam and jumped forward before turning humanoid mid jump and swung his roller down the path that the corner led to. The sound of an inflatable dummy exploding and being replaced by another was heard. "Now you try."

"Okay." Callie followed the same steps Adstrum did. She covered the ground in magenta ink, swam into it, built up some speed, and jumped, but she missed the swing and fell on her side. She got up and brushed it off, immediately trying again. She did this a few times until the fourth time she splatted the dummy around the corner. "Finally. I did it."

"Nicely done, Callie. Want to practice it more?"

"Maybe later. Anything else?" She saw Adstrum nod his head. He led her over to another corner of the testing area.

"Alright. Now…" He pressed another button and some orange ink started firing from around the corner in front of them and blocked Callie and Adstrum's path. "This is an example of someone who knows you are after them and is trying to prevent you from getting them. This is where you take into account the enemy's pattern." The orange ink shots stopped firing momentarily before they started firing again. "That represents the moment the enemy ran out of ammo and are taking time to reload. Usually they think they scared you off and are starting to do something else. Or they will just take a chance and come around the corner firing their weapon hoping to splat you. But for this example the dummy around the corner represents someone who's not taking any chances and believe you might still be after them. You must figure out the pattern. The longer you don't see a volley of ink shots blocking your path, the longer they are taking to reload. Which equals the longer you have to try to splat them. But if the take little time to reload then that's less time for you to counterattack. But it makes the pattern of the enemy firing and reloading easier to figure out." He blinked. "I don't know any way to shorten that explanation."

"Don't worry. I think I get it."

"Alright. So…" He pointed toward the ink shots. "Figure out the pattern and counterattack."

"Alright, I think I can do that." Callie watched the ink shots. They shot for about five seconds before stopping for a few moments. They then started firing again. She waited for this cycle to pass two more times before on the third reload she jumped out and swung at the source. She splatted the dummy and an Aerospray fell to the ground.

"Nice job." Adstrum walked over and picked up the aerospray. He reattached it to the modified dummy and turned it off. "Alright. Do you know how to take on a sniper with a roller?"

"No or at least its been a while"

"Alright, I'll be back." He went back toward the restaurant and went inside. He came back out a few moments later. "Dang it. Chase and Cici are still asleep. Well, Cici actually wouldn't be of much help. We need someone awake to hear the insults."

"You know Cici can hear you and talk back even in her sleep"

"Yeah, but we need someone who is more active and actually reacts quickly."

"Okay, so who do you have in mind?"

"Chase isn't a charger user but he would still work. But he's asleep as well. We could ask Clair to come help but she angers quickly and I will be using insults in this lesson. And I will not ask Annabelle to do it because I don't want to upset her and as a result anger Clair." He leaned against a wall.

"Well, I guess it's either Cici or Chase" Callie rubbed her arm

"Yeah. Maybe we can do the sniper lesson another day." He sat and pondered for a moment. "Um, we did corners. Can't do the roller vs. sniper lesson…Give me a moment…" He scratched his head.

"Are you sure we can just wake them up? I don't think it's good if customers find him sleeping on the job…"

"Trust me, NO ONE shows up on weekdays. Wait, is it a weekday?" He sat and pondered for a moment.

"Cici, can you come here?" Callie called out to her.

After a while Cici lazily waddled to her. She seemed to be sleepwalking.

"Um, Monday is when I ran into you for the first time in this city." He looked over at Callie. "The next day is when I participated in a Turf War. The day after that was Wednesday and I ran into you at the restaurant again...Then Thursday we hung out with Cici and you guys at your work...It's now two days after that..."

"It's… saturday….zzz"

"Shit." He checked his phone and saw it was 9:50 AM. "Oh, man the restaurant opens in ten minutes. We have to go wake Chase up. Cici, did any of Chase's coworkers show up?"

"They..zzz...are drawing… on his… face...zzzz"

Adstrum facepalmed. "Of course they are." He got up and started running toward the door. "Come on, the back door needs to be locked. This firing range is private." He noticed a familiar metal case next to the door with a notebook taped to it. He picked it up and walked into the restaurant with it. "Come on, you two. Hurry!"

"Guys is this really necessary?" One of the Co workers sighed, they looked to be a cook, "Don't blame me if he kills you…"

"Quit being a goody two shoes." A server replied as they drew a mustache.

"HEY!" The employees turned and saw Adstrum standing there. "Leave your manager alone. You guys have to get ready for customers." He walked up and pushed some of them out of the way while others moved aside. He saw the mess on Chase's face and gently smacked the side of his face a few times. "Come on, buddy. Wake up."

"Oh hello Adstrum," the cook greeted, "Hello Cici."

"Patty… can I have… cookies?…"

Chase opened his eyes and saw his coworkers surrounding him. "You guys draw on my face again?"

"Yep." An orange haired inkling replied. "I added the mustache."

"I didn't get involved." A tall blue haired waitress spoke up.

"I know you didn't, June." Chase sat up. "And Eric, go clean a few tables."

"Worth it." The orange tentacled one known as Eric replied.

"I'll go help him." The tall blue tentacled one known as June followed Eric.

"Sorry boss I told them not to but…" Patty shook her head, "Come on Cici let's get you some cookies."

"I… like...you…" Cici held Patty's apron as they walked into the kitchen

Callie watched the group of employees disperse and head toward different locations of the restaurant. "Will they be okay? They seem disorganized."

Chase stood up. "We'll be fine. They all once showed up five minutes before we opened and we still got everything ready on time."

Adstrum finished cleaning up the empty soda cans he left on the bar counter. "Alright, Chase. I'm going to go give Barry the newest weapon here." He gestured to the case he was carrying. "And you should probably wash your face before you open the doors to the public."

"Cookie…." Cici waddled back out

"Do you...have a ride, Cici?" Callie looked at the sleepy inkling.

"I'll…. Walk….. Bye... Chase….zzz." she sleep walked outside"

"Bye Cici." Chase grabbed a few tissues and ran them under the tap. He started to wash his face. "What about you, Jewel. You need a ride or something."

"No. I think I'll go with Adstrum. He did invite me to hang out with him today."

Adstrum's eyes went wide. "I-I did say that, didn't I?" His face turned red.

Patty walked out "Wait did Cici say she was walking back? You know like sleeping while crossing the street."

Chase looked over at her and nodded. "I've seen her actually do that. She somehow knows when the sign says to walk and when to stop. It's impressive and scary. She walked here this morning."

"That's nothing…" June replied as she swept, "Someone dared her to go turf war and she beat everyone, sadly her team too. She is actually pretty fast for someone sleep… inking? Walking?"

"Jeez." Eric said as he wiped down a table. "That's one hell of a lucky squid right there."

"Yeah." Callie replied. "She somehow gets a lot done. It's impressive."

"Oh, okay I was worried about that" Patty smiled

"Ookay… Well, I'm going to go now." He headed for the door and looked at Callie. "You coming...uh, Jewel?"

She nodded her head. "Yep." She waved goodbye to everyone. "See ya, Chase! Bye everyone!"

When she got outside she followed Adstrum to his car.

"Okay, so I don't know how you feel about this...but if you want to come with me you'll have to sit up there." He pointed to the secondary seat on top of his vehicle. "And you'll need to hold this case as well. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I don't mind." She smiled. "Besides, it looks like it could be fun to sit up there." She grabbed the case, hopped onto the car, and jumped into the secondary seat.

"O-okay." He walked up to the driver's seat and sat down. 'Maybe I should modify this car a bit and add a second seat in the front.' He thought as he started his car.

 **Author's Note: Alright. Time to give thanks. Thank you PizzaLovingTurtle for reviewing. Thanks for pointing out the Outrunner (I was hoping someone would question it) and for pointing out the detail of Callie not being able to drive. Reminded me of a chapter I want to write. Than you. Also, thanks to Apikachua again for aiding in the writing of this fic. Okay, don't really have anything else to say. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 12: Running an Errand

Chapter 12: Running an errand

 **Disclaimer: I own Adstrum. I don't own Splatoon.**

About ten minutes of driving went by when Adstrum pulled into a parking garage and parked in the first opening he found. He hopped out and saw Callie land down next to him, still holding the case.

"Alright. Thank you. May I have the case?"

She handed it to him with a smile. "What's in it?"

"The newest turf war weapon. Chase and I tested it yesterday and wrote down the stuff that needs to be fixed and how the weapon works." He started walking toward the exit. When they got outside he began to head for the Turf War Subway Central Station entrance.

"You guys enter turf wars through a subway?"

"Yeah. Kind of makes more sense than entering a tower in Inkopolis Plaza."

"Good point." She followed him down the stairs. "You know, I heard that people aren't really hanging out in the plaza anymore. The shops and turf wars have moved to Inkopolis Square."

"Really?" Adstrum looked back at her. "That's cool." He approached the Ammo Knights store and walked in. "Hey Barry! You here!?"

"Ello mate. Oh you got ya self a gal I see." Barry grinned, "G'donya mate."

"Uh...she's a friend." Adstrum looked at Callie. "Her name is Jewel. Jewel, meet Barry."

"Hello, Barry. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise, what brings you two here?"

"I came to give you the newest weapon. Jewel came along because I invited her to hang out today." Adstrum walked up to the counter and placed the case on said counter.

"Ah, thanks mate. Wonder if me test dummy wants to try it…"

"I'm not a test dummy…." A quiet voice squeaked from behind Barry.

Callie looked behind Barry and saw a small octopus hanging on to his fin. "Is that a-?"

"How long have you had an octoling, Barry?"

"Iris? Oh she is me child… long story… Could tell you but too lazy."

Callie looked worried. "You use your own daughter as a test dummy?"

"Nah, mate. She just tries them out to calibrate it. She fixes any mistakes that you made."

"Okay. Please don't say that again. She may be an octarian but even I found calling her a test dummy disturbing. And I don't always think right." He stared off into space for a second before placing his finger on the roof of his mouth and pretended to fire it like a gun. "Get out of my head, memories."

"It's a umm, let's see, a word of endearment? By the way me child's not an octopus, she be a vampire squid. They just, well, look similar."

Callie walked behind Barry and looked at Iris. "Oh, I didn't notice the thin webbing. Sorry."

Adstrum looked and saw the thin webbing between Iris's tentacles. "Oh. I didn't see it either. Alright. Welp, now I feel like a racist. Sorry, Iris." He grabbed the notepad and opened the case. He pulled the weapon out and showed it to the baracuda. "This is the Double Barrel Reservoir. It fires multiple blobs of ink in a spread, covering a wide area." He opened the notepad. "Here's the list of observations Chase and I made. It has short range, but covers a wide area. Each ink blob does small damage but the closer the target is the more blobs that will likely hit them, doing more damage." He handed the weapon to Barry and gave Iris the notepad. "The notepad has a list of problems that need to be fixed, and go ahead and fix anything else you find."

"..." Iris handed the notepad to Barry.

"You're kind of cute, Iris." Callie had a heartwarming smile on her face.

"Thank you…" She hid in her tentacles making herself look like a pineapple.

"Aw…" Callie's eyes lit up. "How cute. She's like Sanz." She got a few confused looks. "Sanz is the clown fish that lives in my boss's hair."

"She be only a hatchling to me, but yet she can do so much… I remember when-"

"No! A-and I'm 14..." Iris wrapped her tentacles to close Barry's mouth.

"Hahaha! C'mon Barry, don't embarrass your kid." He looked at Iris. "Good luck with the Reservoir." He then looked at Barry. "I'll be back in a week or so. Will the Reservoir be selling by then?"

Barry pulled Iris off, leaving sucker marks, "Yeah, it should."

"Good man." Adstrum patted his back. "See ya around, Barry. And it was nice to meet you, Iris." He smiled before heading toward the door.

"G'day mate."

"Please try not to say anything about me…" Iris waved.

"It was nice meeting you both." Callie waved and followed Adstrum. "Is that all?"

"Yeah. I try not to be around before any inklings show up." He looked at her. "Well, now you choose what we do."

"What? Why me?"

"Because I already got done with my plans for today. I got nothing else to do. But I invited you to hang out. So now you pick what we do."

"Okay." She thought about it for a moment as they started walking back to the parking garage. "I kind of want to try a turf war, but I'm going to wait until I feel more comfortable with a roller again."

Adstrum looked at Callie with a look of confusion. "Okay. You must have changed since Inkopolis. The Callie I remember was more energetic and always ready to do something interesting. At least based on your news quotes."

"I had to change a bit when I came here. I had to take action and start working harder. I'm always excited to try things that interest me, but I want to make sure I'm completely ready. I don't know the turf wars in this city, and seeing what happened to Annabelle-"

"Again, I apologize." Adstrum interrupted.

"That's okay. And seeing what happened to Anna I kind of want to go in prepared. So whenever you are able to get a sniper to help you with the Roller vs Sniper lesson please let me know."

Adstrum gave her a thumbs up. "Got it."

"Thank you." She went back to thinking. "I don't really know what we can do right now…why don't we just drive around and see what there is?"

"Alright. Sounds fine to me. Maybe we can find something to do while going around."

They had reached Adstrum's Outrunner and a question popped into Callie's mind. "You know, I'm still curious. I know you built this car. You said it yourself. But why did you you have to have this car and how are you allowed to drive it?"

"Well…" Adstrum got into the driver's seat as Callie got into the secondary seat. "I'm allowed to drive it because I did the proper paperwork, went to the right places, all the stupid shit required." He started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot he was in. "The reason I have this car is not only because I built it but because of this city." He drove out of the parking garage and started driving. "This is the kind of city that if you live in the nice areas, which is where most of the big corporations and businesses are, then it seems fairly normal. But other places in the city are not so inviting. And I drive through these places almost daily. Remember that sniper idiot back at the restaurant?"

"Yeah, he cracked Clair's windshield."

"That's an example of why I drive this car. A lot of people hate me, which is why the armor helps to intimidate them. It also helps to remind people who I am. Having the only car like this one in the city lets people know who I am and to not bug me. I may be attracting attention with it, but that can be both good and bad." An idea popped into his head. "Hey, I know this is off topic, but do you have your license yet? I wonder if you got that over the past two years."

Callie shook her head. "No. I still don't."

"Well, do you have your permit?"

"Yeah…" She gave him a confused look. "Why?"

"I know what else we're doing today." He took a left turn at a traffic light. "I'm going to help you learn to drive."

 **Author's Note: Alright. Heads up to everyone reading. The update schedule is changing from one chapter a day to one chapter every two days. Sorry. My mind is kind of wandering at the moment. I'm having trouble focusing on the fic. And not because of school or a job or anything. My mind is just going random right now. I will keep updating, but not as fast. Sorry. Next chapter will be in two days.**

 **Anyway, thank you everyone who is still reading. Leave a review if you want and remember the rule I made. Have a great day and see ya next update.**


	14. Chapter 13: Driving Lessons

Chapter 13: Driving Lessons

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

About 30 minutes later Callie and Adstrum were on an empty road on the outskirts of Carti Ridge. Adstrum parked on the side of said road and got out. "Alright, Callie. Let's switch seats."

"Um, are you sure about this. I'm not good at driving. I don't want to crash your car or something…" She looked nervous.

"That's another reason for the armor." He knocked on the side of his car, a metal clang being heard. "Crash as many times as you need until you get the hang of driving."

"I don't know about this…"

"You'll be fine. I'll be here to help and give advice." He climbed up into the secondary seat and tossed Callie the keys. "Just take it slow, okay?"

"O-okay." Callie hopped into the driver's seat and took a deep breath. She was shaking a bit.

"Take as much time as you need to get yourself ready." Adstrum pulled out a device similar to a 3ds and started playing it.

"Okay…" She leaned back and started humming to herself. She did this for about five minutes before she placed the key into the ignition. The engine started and Adstrum put his game away.

"Alright. Get out of park and slowly press down on the acceleration." The car jerked forward a bit. "Slower."

"Oh, okay…" She seemed tense

"Calm down. Just take it easy. Slowly…" He felt the car start to move forward slowly. "Good. Drive straight for a bit."

"Okay…" She was shaking

"Come to a slow stop." The car jerked to a stop. "Too fast."

"Sorry"

"It's okay. You'll get the hang of it. Drive straight again and try to come to a slow stop."

"Okay" She lightly pressed on the accelerator and came to a slow stop after building up a bit of speed.

"Nicely done." He gave her a thumbs up.

Her eyes sparked as she happily cheered.

"Yay!" Adstrum pumped his fist in the air. "Okay, now let's try turning. Go left up ahead."

"But...the road's straight."

"This car goes offroad. Just worry about driving the car, okay?"

"Oh, okay" She slowly turned the wheel and the car started going left.

"You are doing great. Good going Callie. You're-" He suddenly jerked in his seat as the car had hit a small tree. "One crash."

"Oh my god I am so sorry"

"Don't worry about it. There's no damage. Even if there's a scratch I wouldn't care. Scratches don't equal the car being undrivable. And this brings up something else. Put it in reverse and back up."

"Okay" She did as she was told. The car started backing up and came to a stop after a few moments. "Good. Now put it into drive again and let's go around the tree."

She drove around it slowly.

"Good. Now stop." The car came to a slow stop. "Very good, Callie. You are doing good."

"Okay…" She smiled nervously.

"You okay? We can take a break if you want?"

"Okay, let's do that"

"Alright." He hopped out of the secondary seat and walked up to the driver seat. He helped Callie out of the seat, feeling her hand shaking and saw a nervous look on her face. "Hey, don't worry about it. You did very good."

"Thank you." She hugged him.

Adstrum's face turned bright red, his eyes opened wide, and his arms dropped to his sides. His mind was racing, 'Oh man...oh man...What do I do!? How do I react!? Maybe I should just...hug her back.' He raised his arms and returned the hug. "Y-you're w-welcome…"

She stopped the hug and smiled as she gave him the keys back. She jumped into the secondary seat, bouncing in excitement and happiness. Adstrum climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Um, are you hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Cause so am I."

"Hehe, okay let's grab some food then."

"Okay. Let's go." He started driving back into the city.

 **Author's Note: Okay, this chapter may seem like filler, and you would be mostly right. But the Outrunner did have a reason to be in this fic. And I tried to make a chapter with Adstrum and Callie alone. I guess. I don't know. Next chapter is in two days again.**

 **Also, thank you all for 500 views on this fic. It means a lot. Thank you. See ya next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 14: Reading Fan Mail

Chapter 14: Reading mail

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon. Nintendo does.**

Marie had decided that on her day off she would stay at home and look through fan mail. She invited Jack over to help her with it and was looking through some of it while she waited.

"Another for me." She opened it up. "'Dear Marie, I think you are pretty and have a nice voice…' Another common kind of letter?" She put the letter in a pile on the floor and grabbed another from one of the two boxes on the coffee table in front of her.

"'Dear Marie, Where did Callie go? I like you both. I hope to see you both some day.' Sigh...I wouldn't know." She heard a knock on the door. "Come in!"

A familiar Orange haired inkling walked in. "Hey Marie! I'm here."

" Hey Jack. Thanks for coming to help me with this." She opened another letter. "'Dear Marie, I really like your singles. Could I get an autograph? Please and thank you. From, Peter.' This guy I like."

"'Dear Marie, THIS IS NOT A FAN LETTER. I am just the new camerasquid. I just wanted to say I look forward to working with you. This just looks like fan letter because of the cute stationary. I couldn't help myself… Sorry if I'm a bit…. CRAZY…"

Jack walked up to her. "That's a lot of fan mail. And it's all addressed to you?"

She looked up at him. "Not all of it. I found an old box of fan mail in the closet. And some of the letters in there were addressed to Callie." She reached into said box and pulled out a letter. "This one is addressed to Callie." She placed it in a pile of unopened letters to her right.

"Wait, you aren't going to look at those?" Jack sat down next to the unopened pile.

"No. I don't want to…" She reached into the newer box of letters. "I want to try and forget…"

"Okay...I don't think that sounds right…" He grabbed one of the letters to Callie and opened it. "'Dear Callie, my sister really likes you. I am happy you gave us an autograph that day. I hope we see you again soon. My sister helped me write this letter. I drew a picture.' Aw, a Smiley face. This is a cute letter." He grabbed another letter. "You guys get...or got...a lot of fan mail. Did Callie ever read these?"

Marie sighed. "She would open a letter the first chance she got. But sometimes she forgot to. Or sometimes we'd get boxes of letters and put them away for later. This was the last box I found that has letters from when Callie was still around."

"Delivery!" A knock came from the door, "I got a fresh shipment again."

Marie turned to Jack. "See?" She got up and answered the door.

A teal squid girl smiled as she handed Marie her box, "It's from Cecilia. They aren't letters thankfully. They look pretttyy! Did you want me to do anything else?"

"No thanks, Reina. See ya."

"Bye!"

Marie took the box and closed the door. She placed the box on the floor and opened it. "Nice selection. But why do they always include a copy of their magazine in here?" She picked up the magazine, which had it's cover facing down, and threw it over her shoulder. It landed at Jack's feet.

He opened another letter. "'Dear Callie, I love your singing and loved watching you perform during Splatfest.' Oh, I remember those things. Yeesh. The bickering between teams was ugly."

"Yeah…" She sat back down on the couch. "I'll look at the clothing later." She grabbed a random letter. "'To Callie and Marie. From,' Oh my gosh." She smirked at the inkling boy. "Hey Jack, is this your's?" She waved it in air a bit.

"What?" He looked up and recognized that it was his handwriting. "Hey, give me that!" He tried to grab it, but she held it away from him.

"Let me read it first. I'm curious what it says." She opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. "'Dear Callie and Marie, My name is Jack. I am like one of your biggest fans. I was hoping you could send me your autographs since… I was nearly ran over by other fans and couldn't get to the line in time. Love Jack P.S. I love you guys! ❤❤❤'"

Jack was covering his blushing face while Marie giggled.

"You wrote this? That's adorable."

"I wrote it before I became Agent 3 and met you…"

"You still want that autograph?"

"No…."

"Heheh…" She picked up another letter addressed to her. "'Dear Marie, I want to know how do you look so good even after singing for 24 hours?' Heh, I just do." She grabbed another letter. "'Dear Marie. I would love to-' Oh, gross… What the hell?" She ripped the letter into pieces. "Some people. Ugh."

Jack shook his head. "Some people are just disturbing."

Marie nodded. "I think I am done reading letters for now." She got up and walked over to the box of clothing.

Jack picked up another Callie letter and opened it.

"Dear Callie, I know that the chances of you reading this letter are pretty much zero, but I wrote it anyway. Don't know why, I just did. Okay. Um, I think you are extremely pretty and your voice is like an angel's. Your singing is beautiful and I would give anything just to meet you. Your smile makes my day and the happiness and excitement you seem to radiate is contagious. Every morning I watch Inkopolis news just to see your smiling face. I would give anything just to meet you face to face one day. But I know the chances of that happening are basically the same chances of you reading this letter. Please don't stop smiling and being yourself."

Jack looked at the letter a little longer. "Wow, someone really likes Callie." He looked at who it came from. "A guy named Adstrum. Well, seems like those chances are now truly zero." He looked up and saw Marie holding the box of clothing. "You ever get mail like this?"

"Yeah, they write to me everyday."

"I mean like this one. Where it seems like they truly meant every word and tried to write heartfelt words."

"Yeah, they are kinda like a pen pal…. I write to them and they write back. It started with a letter like that"

"Really? Who?"

"They told me their name was Randy." She started walking to her room with the clothes.

Jack looked at the letter again and folded it up. He placed it in his pocket. "Someone spent a lot of time to write this. I'll find a way to send it back to them and let them know about Callie quitting. If they don't already know.

"Oh, that rare…" Marie held up a letter in the clothes box, "Cecilia wrote a letter…." She opened it.

"'Dear Marie, I made you more clothes. I hope everything is well. I think its funny…. A modeler has almost the exact measurement as your cousin. I sometimes call her Callie. She's nice. I hope to see you soon, your tailor Cecilia.' I just might meet her one day real soon."

Jack looked down at his feet and picked up the magazine Marie had thrown earlier. "You read Biolumin-Essense magazine?"

"No. I just get one whenever I get new clothes from her. Why, do you?"

"I did once. But only to read about the Turf War weapons they have in Carti Ridge." A look of realization hit his face. He picked up the magazine and looked at the front cover.

"Oh really? I think you read it to look at the models." She teased him.

"No I don't."

"Then why are you looking so hard at the model on the front cover?"

"Because she looks like Callie. Doesn't she?" He showed her the front cover.

"Huh. She does. But I've met some fangirls of ours that have been able to copy us almost exactly." She started walking toward her room with the box of clothing. "I'm going to go try these on. Stick around if you want."

"Okay." He watched her walk up the stairs and looked at the magazine cover again. "It could be a copycat…but I'm not sure…that Cecilia girl said she has the same measurements in the letter…"

After a while Marie came back wearing a leather dress with shiny green scale like ends. "Well, I tried on the outfits. I'm going to wear this one for the rest of the day." She turned to Jack. "How do I look?"

Jack looked up at her. "Um, you look great."

She smirked. "Of course I do."

Jack looked back at the magazine. "Hey, Marie, you think I could talk to Cecilia?"

"I do have her number. Why? You want ask her to make you an outfit?"

"Nah. I just want to meet her. Or at least talk to her."

"Okay…" She opened up her contacts and read Cecilia's number to him. He typed it into his contacts.

"Thanks Marie."

"You're welcome, Jack." She sat back down on the couch. "Now help me finish sorting out these letters."

"Okay." He grabbed a letter from one of the boxes and handed it to her. "Another for you."

 **Author's Note: I can't believe I forgot to write this. But now I remembered. Okay, another chapter focused on Marie. Ugh. Anyway, have a good day and have fun reading. See ya next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 15: She's awake for a bit

Chapter 15: She's awake...for a bit

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

Callie and Adstrum had just finished having lunch when Callie got a call from Clair inviting her over to her house. They were in Adstrum's car driving toward Clair's home, Callie giving directions on the way there.

"Okay, take a left up here."

"Gotcha."

"Okay, her house is the fifth on the left." Callie told him. They parked out front and got out, immediately heading for the door and knocking on it.

"Clair why can't she send it?" Annabelle asked with Cici on her head.

"That picture… is um… smudged! Yeah! So blurry." Clair told her, a nervous look on her face.

"Um, hello?" Callie's voice came from the door again. "Clair? Anna? May we come in?"

"Of course! Look cookies!" Clair gave Cici the whole box and ran over to open the door, "Ca-" She stopped when she saw Adstrum.

"Hello." He waved at her.

"Nevermind that, Cici is trying to send a picture of you to your cousin!..."

"What?" Callie's eyes went wide. "Why?"

"She just wanted her to see you…. I'm running out of excuses and cookies."

"Alright, I'll handle it." Callie walked in and sat down next to Annabelle. "Hey Anna."

Annabelle had crumbs on her head. She handed Cici a cookie and she nibbled on it.

Adstrum walked in and sat down on the floor. "So what's going on?"

Callie looked at the sleepy inkling. "Cici, why do you want to send a picture of me to Marie?"

"I wanted…. to see if….. she wanted that…. outfit."

"Well, why didn't you just send her a picture of the outfit? You could have made someone else wear it or put it on a mannequin. Or laid it on a flat surface and take a picture of it."

"...Because… you are pretty..." She finished her cookie.

"Oh. Thank you…" Callie blushed. "But I need you to promise me not to send her any pictures of me, okay?"

"You're hiding from her? Why?" Annabelle asked.

"Oh...um...because...um…" Callie had a nervous look on her face.

"Because Jewel doesn't want to make that narcissistic pop idol jealous of her and be scared that she might try to embarrass her somehow. I mean, jealous pop idols can get away with doing some stupid things." Adstrum spoke up. He saw Callie give him a thumbs up and mouth the words, 'Nice save.'

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" Cici open her eyes and looked at them, "I been making clothes for you two for years… Don't you dare lie to me..."

"YOU ARE AWAKE?!" Clair looked shocked.

Callie looked surprised. "Okay….One, Adstrum isn't wrong. She does get jealous easily and has said and done things due to jealousy. And two, you knew, Cici?"

"Yes, you think just because you put on makeup I won't remember? I measured you and Marie for nearly everything you wear…"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't sure… Sure there are people that wanna be you… but the fact that you reacted that way… Callie, you are bad at lying… This picture was taken by me and it is you as yourself."

"I...I know... I'm bad at lying…" She took the picture and looked at it. It was a picture of her back when she was still a Squid Sister.

"You should do yourself a favor… stop being someone you are not… Even if you are mad at Marie, you can't let yourself lose who you are because of it..."

"I...I can't...Cici….I can't. I want to be a Squid Sister again. I miss the fans. I miss their happy faces. I miss seeing their faces light up when they got an Autograph from us...but...Marie...I can't work with her again...she's…" Her eyes started to water.

"Callie you are still an Idol. Can still be, even alone."

"I know. I tried, though. But I couldn't get any gigs. I tried everywhere, but people didn't want a solo Squid Sister. They wanted both. I got an opportunity to model clothing and I took it." She placed her face in her hands. "I miss performing."

"I know a place…." Annabelle replied, "They have a stage in their cafe."

"You do?" Callie looked up at her, tears rolling down her face.

Adstrum looked up at her. "Did, uh, she also know about Jewel being Callie?"

"Cici told me. She's like a detective…"

"Oh, okay." He got up and sat next to Callie. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She looked at him.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"...I uh….I don't know...You just looked like you needed a hug..." He blushed.

"Th-thank you." She hugged him back, causing his face to turn redder. "But, Anna? What place are you talking about?"

"They love you. They play your music all the time. Bomb Rush Blush. If I even say your name they all start crying."

"Really?" Callie smiled.

"Um, they just are very emotional… but they love you. They would pay you to perform there… that or give you their savings."

"I...I would love to perform for them…But...I'm afraid…" She sniffed and regained her composure. "What if they don't think I'm Callie. Showing up out of nowhere after two years makes people suspicious. A lot of people have tried to claim to be me."

"Cici I can talk to them… Or you can let your singing do all the talking… You are the one and only after all."

"That is true...But what about security? I love fans, but I don't want them to attack me or something."

"I can smash people's faces in." Clair smiled.

"I won't let anyone get close to you without you allowing them to." Adstrum had a serious look on his face and he tightened his hug on Callie.

"Aw, thanks you two. Um...Adstrum… Could you loosen the hug?"

"Oh, sorry." He released her.

"This is the same place that allows me to mix drinks right?" Clair asked.

"Yup with the granny." Annabelle replied. "She sighs when I have to make Anita's drinks."

"Thank you guys." Callie opened her mouth and smiled. "This means a lot to me."

"Your smile brightens my life, Callie." Adstrum smiled at her.

Callie blushed. "Glad I could make your life happier, Adstrum."

"I will… work on… the tux and dress...zzzz" Cici fell asleep again, "Maybe... hatchling clothes… too…"

"YES!" Clair cheered, "DO IT!"

Callie looked at both of them. "HEY! Woah. It is not like that."

Adstrum blushed even harder. "Wh-what? Huh? I-I uh...What?" He started fidgeting uncomfortably. "What's going on? I'm so confused."

"Don't worry about it, Adstrum. Cici and Clair are just messing with me."

"O-okay…" He had a look of fear on his face.

"You wish… Callie…" Cici smiled.

"He and I are just friends, Cici."

"You have a crush too Cici!"

"No I don't…" Cici covered Anna's mouth.

"She does?" Callie's face lit up. "Oh, who is it?!"

"I like candy…"

"Haha. Of course you do, Cici." Adstrum rolled his eyes.

A look of realization appeared on Callie's face. "Wait, I just realized something. What about Marie? She's going to be performing at a concert here at the end of the month. I don't want her to catch wind of me having performed at a cafe and then look for me."

"Don't you think you should face her?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to." She rubbed her arm.

"Why don't we worry about that some other time?" Adstrum spoke up. "You said you want to perform again, so let's worry about that right now. Clair, make a day for Callie to perform there."

"On it!" She dialed the number. "Hello? Miss Tina?"

"You think you should wear your old Squid Sister outfit or should Cici make something new?"

"Let's do something new." Callie looked over at the sleeping squid. "Can you do that, Cici? Please?" She saw the green squid nod. "Thank you."

"...wait now?... Um sure… What do you mean you'll skin me if I'm lying?... Okay, coming!" Clair hung up. "Let's go before she skins us…"

"Wait, already?!" Callie's eyes widened. "She wants me to perform now?"

"She just wants to see you…"

"Oh." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Yeah, let's go see her." She got up and walked toward the door. "I'm going to perform again. I'm so excited!" She started hopping up and down. "I'm so excited! I'm going to perform again! YES!"

"Okay, now that's the Callie I remember." Adstrum smiled.

"Can I…. go home? Tina scares me…." Cici climbed off and turned back into her humanoid form.

"Why? Come with us!" Annabelle took Cici's hand.

"...okay..." She muttered.

"Okay, let's go." Adstrum was waiting at the door. "Man, Callie, your excitement is contagious. Who do you want to ride with, Clair or me?"

"Um…" She pondered a bit. "I think I'll ride with you. We can follow Clair."

"Alright, let's go." Clair ran to her garage while Adstrum and Callie ran out the front door. They hopped into his car and waited for Clair to come out and lead them to the cafe. They saw her garage door open and followed her car as she drove away.

 **Author's Note: Okay...Um...I need to say something. I'm kind of struggling with this fic. I had some parts of it already thought out but other things are just improv. This chapter was one of them. I didn't expect for Callie to get back to trying to perform in this fic but I find that it will probably work in this fic. I don't know. Also the title of this chapter...I couldn't think of a better one. I'll say it again, I'm struggling with this fic and I might have to change the update schedule again. MIGHT! I'll keep trying for one chapter every two days. I kind of think I did better when it was a new chapter every day. Anyway, thanks for reading. Leave a review if you want to. And I'll see you later.**


	17. Chapter 16: Preparations

Chapter 16: Preparations

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

The cafe was across the street from Biolumin-Essense. Cici tensed up on Annabelle's head.

"Welcome, back Anna… Did Anita send you again?" An elderly pufferfish lady greeted them, "Cecilia? I haven't seen you in a while sweetie."

The old lady pulled Cici off.

"Mercy! Mercy!" Cici grabbed Annabelle's arm.

"That's no way to greet your Nana… You are so skinny… let's get you some more cookies..."

"N-N-No!" Cici eyes shot open, "Mercy! I already ate I swear!"

Adstrum looked at Cici confused. "Cecilia? Nice name. And why are you scared of this lady? She seems nice."

Cici super jumped into the ceiling. She held the ceiling beam shaking.

"Oh dear…"

Callie giggled. "Cici, calm down. Why are you scared?"

The old lady threw a plate at Cici and she fell back down.

"Nana will take good care of you."

"..." Cici was crying.

"Okay, this is funny and all, but…" He approached the elderly lady. "Please leave our friend alone, ma'am. I've never seen her like this."

"She is always like this" The old lady petted Cici. "You are 'Callie' right?"

Callie looked at the old pufferfish. "Y-yeah. I am. I am guessing you are Tina." She stuck her hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"Hmm, you do look like her… Yes, I am Tina." She smiled and shook her hand.

Adstrum watched as Cici slowly slid out of Tina's arms and quietly slid along the floor toward him. "Um, what are you doing?" He whispered down at her.

"You can't escape…." Tina's spikes twitched.

Cici shook and quickly swam up Adstrum's leg. She went inside his jacket, making him shudder. "Yeesh. Cici, what's your deal?" He shuddered again. "Get out of my jacket."

"She wants to stuff me…."

"Oh, you'll be f-…" He saw the old pufferfish start to puff up. "...-ine. Huh. Should have expected that."

"Come back Sweetie…"

Adstrum smiled and took out one of his Ink Claws. He showed them to Callie. "I'm so tempted to try and pop her."

"Don't even try it. Put those away." Callie lightly punched him.

"I know." He put the weapon away. "But it's so tempting."

"Come on Cici… For Callie…."

"..." Cici dropped out and Tina scooped her up.

"There you are my cute child!" Her spikes folded.

Adstrum looked slightly uncomfortable. "Do you call her these nicknames because she's related to you somehow?"

"I watched over her when her mother wasn't around." She put Cici down and handed her a plate of cookies.

Cici shuttered. She started reluctantly eating them.

"Oh, so like a babysitter? Okay."

Cici turned pale as she forced herself to eat them. Callie picked up a cookie and took a bite. She uncomfortably swallowed it down. "Oh, I see." She whispered into Adstrum's ear, "There's veggies in these cookies."

Adstrum looked at her with a disgusted face. "Okay, a cookie like that shouldn't exist. Also, we're squids. We eat meat. And sweets sometimes."

"I made those every time she visits, it's funny how she goes to the hospital after… She turned white after a while. I never had a problem with other customers..."

Cici turned white and stopped moving. "…."

"Oh yes, just like that…."

Adstrum looked at Tina. "You need to learn a thing about squids and what we eat." He walked over to Cici and performed the heimlich maneuver, causing her to spit up the cookie she swallowed. "You're welcome."

"..." Cici still looked white.

Callie turned to Cici. "I didn't find it that bad. Then again, Gramps made me and my cousin eat veggies while we grew up. Guess my body got used to them."

"I… allergic…."

"Um, shouldn't we focus on what we came here to do?" Adstrum looked at Clair and Tina.

"Ah yes, what can I do for you dear?"

"Clair's the one that called you and told you what we came here to talk to you about. Also, please don't give Cici anymore veggie cookies, ma'am. Your other customers may like them, but she's not your other customers." Adstrum's face turned serious.

"Hmm, you say you are Callie, but how can I be sure you're telling the truth?"

"She's been…. my customer…. for 10 years…" Cici replied and weakly climbed on Annabelle.

"Oh, good, she's still alive." Adstrum laughed a bit.

"Her...urp…. Signature…" Cici handed Callie a piece of paper. "Do it… Callie..."

Callie took the paper. "I need something to write with."

"Here." Clair handed Callie her pen.

"Thank you." She wrote her name on the paper and showed it to Tina.

"My god, you are Callie…."

"Please don't freak out." She put her finger to her lips. "I don't want to be recognized right now."

"But why not?" Tina asked.

"I don't want people asking questions or a people freaking out about me right now."

"I see… what can I do for you then?"

"Didn't Clair talk to you about having Callie possibly perform here?" Adstrum whispered. "We should probably take this conversation elsewhere."

"Oh of course let's go into the kitchen." Tina walked into the back and everyone followed.

"So, about me performing…" Callie looked nervous. "Um...you would allow me to?"

"Of course, you are welcome here anytime you wish to sing."

"Okay. But what day? I have a job to worry about."

"Hmm, maybe weekends?"

"My days off are Saturdays and Sundays. And today is Saturday." She smiled but then realization showed up on her face. "But I need to wait for Cici to make an outfit for me to wear. And how are we going to do this? Is there a spot I should stand at to perform?" She was panicking.

"You'll be great!" Clair grinned. "Just go with your gut."

"Yeah, Callie. You'll do fine." Adstrum patted her back. "Now take a deep breath and calm down."

She started breathing slowly and started to calm down. "Okay...Okay." She looked at Tina. "Where will I be singing?"

"There is a stage in the side, there. It's nothing like your old one, but it's classy."

Callie looked over at it. "It's perfectly fine. It's better than some other stages I've performed on." She smiled at the old pufferfish. "What about sound? You have a mic and sound system or something?"

"I can have Emron set that up for you." Tina smiled at her. "Anything else?"

"Not that I know of...Oh, what should I sing?"

"It's your time to shine, you can decide."

She pondered for a bit. "I guess I could sing my solo song, Bomb Rush Blush."

"Hoho, I'm so excited! Emron, can you fix up the speakers and mic?"

A young yellow Inkling washed his hands. "Very well. I'll set it up… Hello Cici-" He stopped. "She fed you the cookies again? Um, I'm going to take her to the hospital first then I'll fix it up..." He took Cici and rushed to the hospital.

"Okay! Come back soon!"

"So, you have everything covered?" Adstrum asked.

"Yes, please come back whenever you want."

"I don't know if Cici will have my outfit ready by tomorrow...considering she's in the hospital." Callie rubbed her arm. "But maybe next week."

"Anytime is fine." Tina smiled.

"Okay. Guess we'll see you later. Thank you, Tina." Callie smiled. "This means a lot to me." She turned and headed for the door. "See you next week. I guess."

"Good bye dear!"

"Bye!" Callie walked outside followed by Adstrum, Clair, and Annabelle. "Oh boy. Guess this is happening. Okay. Well...what now?"

"It is kind of getting late. Need a ride home?" Adstrum offered her.

"Um, sure... I'll tell you where to go." She looked at Clair and Anna. "Thank you guys."

"Bye!"

Callie hopped into the secondary seat of Adstrum's car. Adstrum hopped into the driver's seat and started it up. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove out of the cafe parking lot.

About fifteen minutes later he pulled up in front of an apartment complex. Callie hopped out and walked up to the driver's seat.

"Thank you, Adstrum. Today was great."

"You're welcome Callie. Anytime."

"You doing anything tomorrow?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Just curious. I got nothing going on tomorrow either. I might call you and see if you want hang out if I don't find something to do." She smiled at him.

"Okay. Cool. Well, good night, Callie." He turned on the engine and felt Callie plant a kiss on his cheek. He blushed and smiled. "Uh, wh-what was that f-for?"

"For everything you've done. Good night." She waved as she walked toward the apartment complex.

Adstrum waved back and drove off. He placed his hand on his cheek and smiled.

 **Author's note: Okay. Another chapter. Thank you TrickyJebus for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it.**

 **And to everyone reading, please go ahead and leave a review if you want. If you enjoy the fic then I'm glad you like it. Thank you all for reading so far. More chapters are one the way.**


	18. Chapter 17: Home Tour

Chapter 17: Home tour

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon. I own Adstrum.**

Callie woke up early in the morning with a smile on her face. Her tentacles were a bit messy so she straighten them a bit. She stretched out her arms as she got out of bed. She gathered her clothes and bra for the day, and walked to the bathroom to take a hot shower. Her angelic singing voice echoed from inside. She finished up after about twenty minutes. She got dressed and sat down on her bed. She played around on her phone for a bit before looking at her contacts list.

"Hmmm...I wonder who I should hang out with today?" She scrolled through her contacts as she pondered. "Clair and Anna? Um, I think they had to do something today...Oh, yeah, Anna had a doctor's appointment. Cici? No, I think she's still in the hospital. I could visit her...but I don't think visiting hours are open." She stopped scrolling when she saw Adstrum's number. "How did-? Oh yeah, I saved his number in my phone after he called the first time." She giggled and smiled. "Yeah, I think I'll hang with him today." She pressed the call button and waited for a response.

"...Hello?" Adstrum's voice came through the phone.

"Hi, Adstrum. It's Callie. Hey, I was wondering if we could hang out today. Can we? Please?" Her tone of voice had both excitement and nervousness.

"Huh? Y-yeah, sure. *yawn* Where?" He sounded tired.

"I don't know. Maybe you could come over to my house. Or I could come over to where you live."

"I-I don't know…"

"How about I come over to your house? I would like to see it." She rubbed her arm.

"O-okay. Sure. Need my address? *yawn*"

"Of course I'll need to know it. I don't know where you live." She giggled. "Um, did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but I'm glad you did. What time is it?" The sound of him moving around in a bed was heard. "8:30? Dammit! I slept through my alarm again! I hate doing that!"

"What's wrong? You have something important to do today?"

"No, I just hate sleeping in. Matter of fact I hate sleeping. I know sleep is required, but I still hate it."

"Why?"

"Eh, people can hate whatever they want. I hate sleep because it's boring. I hardly ever have dreams that I remember. So what's the point of having dreams? ….I am talking too much again."

Callie laughed. "Heheh. Okay, would you mind telling me your address? And when should I come over?"

"Um, okay. Come over in about…one hour...or two... I don't know…"

"I'll come over in an hour and a half."

"That works too. Okay, will you remember my address? I'm only going to tell you it once."

"I got it covered." She pulled a pen and address book out from her bedside table.

* * *

An hour later Callie walked out of the door of the apartment complex wearing a magenta tank top and a pair of jean shorts. She decided to tie her tentacles into a braid today. She had gotten into the cab she called and looked up at a familiar urchin driver. "Hello, Jim. How ya been?"

"Been good, miss Jewel. Haven't seen you in a couple days. Where ya been?"

"Oh, I've been hanging with friends. Rode with a friend to different places yesterday…" She smiled.

"You didn't find a new cab driver, did you?" He smirked at her as he started driving off.

She giggled. "No I didn't. Don't worry about losing me as a customer. Unless I get a license."

"You'd still need your own car, though." He looked at her through the rear view mirror. "So where are you headed?"

"I'll tell you where to go. Make a left up here."

* * *

Twenty minutes of driving through busy traffic later the cab arrived at a dark orange, two story brick house.

"Thank you, Jim." Callie opened her purse and pulled out the cash she owed him.

"You're welcome, Jewel." He took the money and smiled at her. "Have a good day."

"You too, Jim." She smiled back as she stepped out of the taxi. She walked up to the front door as Jim drove off. She rang the doorbell and waited for a response. She felt her phone vibrate and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey. Um, come on in. The front door is unlocked. Make yourself at home. I'm a bit busy with something right now and can't move." She heard Adstrum's voice come through her phone.

"Um...okay…" She heard him hang up and opened the front door. She stepped inside and looked around. The walls were painted a light orange of the room she was in, which looked like a living room. She placed her purse on the couch and sat next to it. After waiting around in silence for about a minute or so she heard some sounds of tools coming from behind a door. She looked over at said door and heard some footsteps coming up some stairs. The door opened and Adstrum stood there wearing a dirtied pair of jeans and a messy looking red tee shirt. He didn't have his jacket on and his ink black tentacles in a mess and hanging at the sides of his head.

"Welcome."

"What were you doing down there?" Callie pointed at the door he came through.

"I was working on the next Turf War weapon. Um, I'm going to go get changed real quick. I'll be right back." He headed upstairs. "Sorry. I'll be quick, though."

"Take your time." She called up to him. She looked around the room a bit more before her eyes settled on the entertainment center in front of her.. It had a flat screen television in the center along with multiple game consoles in the cubby holes surrounding it. "Guess he's a gamer."

"Yeah, I am." She looked toward the stairs and noticed him standing there, wearing a clean pair of jeans and a clean red shirt, and still not wearing his jacket.

"You were quick. And is that all you ever wear?"

"I was quick because I didn't want to make you wait for too long. And I don't bother with accessorizing. A red shirt and blue jeans is the simplest outfit I can wear. And I'm happy with that." He sat down on the recliner next to the couch and looked over at Callie. "So, why'd you feel like coming over?"

"What, I can't come and hang out?"

"There's got to be more of a reason than that." He smirked at her. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to hang out with you because, well, I'm curious about you. That, and I wanted to see your home."

"Okay. You had two reasons. Thank you for telling me them."

"Actually, three reasons. I want to practice my singing for the performance at the cafe. And, well, I need someone to be a practice audience…" She rubbed her arm.

"Um, okay. You could have asked your other friends to be the practice audience. But I'd be more than happy to be your audience." He smiled at her.

"Yeah, well Annabelle has a doctor's appointment today and Clair took her to it."

"Oh. Okay." He scratched the side of his head. "So...you said you want to practice singing?"

"Yep." She smiled at him.

"Okay...so you going to sing now? Or...later? Or...I don't know." He shrugged. "You choose to do what you want."

"Well...I do want to practice...but...well…"

"You nervous?"

"Yes. I like singing in front of an audience, but you are one person, not a group or crowd of people. It feels...different…weird."

"You don't have to sing if you don't want to."

"I do...but I just...don't know if I want to do it right now…This is weird, I've never really had stage fright."

"Well, you could do something else in the meantime. Anything on your mind?"

"Um…" She looked around a bit. "I am curious about where you live. Would you mind giving me a tour?"

"Sure." Adstrum stood up. "Where should we start? You've already seen the living room."

"Yeah." She smiled as she stood up. "Why not start on this floor then go upstairs?"

"That will work. This way." He turned around and headed for a different room.

"Okay." She followed.

They entered the dining room and kitchen area. "I don't really need to explain the rooms. It's obvious what they are. But if anything catches your eye then go ahead and ask away."

"It's so… Clean… Do you not cook much?" Callie looked around the kitchen.

"No. Not really. When I do cook it's mostly simple dishes. I don't really like complicated dishes or food."

"I see… hey, I'm not too bad at cooking… Maybe I'll make you something sometimes"

"I don't know. Do what you want. But I don't know about that." He scratched the back of his head. "Let's...go upstairs. There's a lot more up there."

"Alrighty." She headed for the stairs and Adstrum followed. She waited next to the first door she saw. "What's this room?"

Adstrum laughed and opened the door. "Heheh. The upstairs bathroom." He continued laughing. "It's not that important of a room. Man, you get excited easily."

"Hehe… I don't think you would survive without a bathroom…At least pridefully..."

"True. Heh." He lead her toward a different room. "This is the guest bedroom. It never really gets used."

"I see, it might come in handy someday." She smiled.

"Um...Okay." He watched her walk over to another door. "That's the storage space."

"It's nice to have storage."

"Yeah. Where else would you keep all the crap you likely won't use again? Or ever use."

"Sold on Ink-bay… people pay a lot for my stuff..." She chuckled nervously, "I don't really wanna know what they do with them…"

"Yeah, better to not know. There are some creepy people out there."

"Yup… anyhoo let's move on."

"Okay. The door at the end of the hall is my room."

"Neat! I am curious about it, but I should respect your privacy." She rubbed her arm.

"Eh, I got nothing to hide. You want to see my room?"

"YES!" She opened the door eagerly. The room had a queen sized bed in it, a large bookshelf with only a few of the shelves filled with books, and a large dresser. The strangest thing, however, was the roller hanging on the wall.

"This Krak-On roller… Is it special to you?" Callie examined the roller closer.

"Why is that always the thing people ask about? They never question why I have a queen sized bed or why my bookshelf doesn't have that many books."

"Would you really ask people about their beds?"

"...Maybe. I don't know. I don't understand my own mind sometimes. I doubt it, though. Yeah, that roller is special to me. It the weapon I used back in Inkopolis."

"Oh, that's right you mentioned that. If you don't mind me... asking... why did you leave?"

"*sigh* Because I can't stay in a city full of disappointments and annoyances. I do kind of miss the city, though."

"It wouldn't hurt to visit…"

"You want to visit it with me?" He saw her shake her head. "Okay."

"I don't… really miss it…"

"...Yes you do. I can tell. You just don't want to run into Marie, do you?"

"Neither would you."

"You are right. I wouldn't. I hate that bitch too."

"I figured as much..."

"Uh-huh. So, should we continue the tour?"

"What else is there to see?"

"The garage and the basement."

"Oh, okay let's go!"

"Heheh. Your excitement is contagious."

She happily climbed the stairs and he followed her.

"Okay, the garage isn't really that exciting. It's just where I park my car. And the laundry room is the connection to the garage. So this way to the basement." He lead her over to the entrance of the basement.

"Okay!" She opened the door and walked down the stairs, nearly tripping over herself in excitement. "I'm okay!"

"Heheh. Yay!" He followed her down. The basement looked like it was kept reasonably clean. There were multiple tools on the walls and at the other end of the basement was a workbench with what looks like half of a motorcycle on it.

"What's with the motorcycle?"

"That's the newest turf war weapon I'm working on. It's almost done but I still need to fix up a few things with it." He followed Callie over to it.

"Really? A motorcycle?"

"Don't judge me." He stood next to the work in progress weapon. "It's only the rear wheel and motor of a motorcycle. It's meant to act like, well…" He stuck his hand through a metal cast and grabbed hold of a handle with a button on it. "It's held like this and is going to have ink flowing over the wheel when I'm done. Hold it on the ground and rev it." He pressed the button and the wheel started spinning. "If I can do it write ink will fly off the wheel as it spins and holding it to the ground will allow you to go around the map faster than with an inkbrush, but leaving behind a thinner trail of ink. But the wheel will be spreading ink spots along the way as it spins." He tried to lift it but he couldn't. "One problem is the weight, but considering it's a motorcycle rear wheel and motor it's not surprising it's heavy. Only very strong inklings can lift it one handed." He took his arm out of the brace. "I'm still working on it, though. I need to connect an ink tank to it." He smiled up at Callie.

She silently tried to put everything he said together.

"Um, did I say that too fast?"

"It's okay. Something like a saw?"

"Um, yeah. Except it can be used to go faster. And it's blunt instead of sharp. I was going to call it the Motor Psycho, but that name was already taken. You have any ideas?"

"Nope, it's good."

"I can't call it that. Motor Psycho is already copyrighted. Besides, people expect weapons to have a pun related to ink or something. Seems stupid to me."

"Ummm…. Blob Blade?"

"It's not really a saw, but I'll keep it in mind." He gave her a thumbs up.

"Hehe I tried."

"Yeah. Well, if you tried to think of a name, then why don't you try singing? You ready?"

"Alright! Let's do this!" She ran upstairs and Adstrum followed her. He sat on the couch and looked at Callie. "Alright, let me hear it."

 **Author's Note: Another chapter. Okay, thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving two reviews. I appreciate your criticism. And thank you everyone who continues to read this fic. Please consider leaving a review, but remember the rule I gave in the prologue. Okay, see ya all in the next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 18: Building Confidence

Chapter 18: Building Confidence

 **Disclaimer: I own Adstrum. I don't own Splatoon.**

Callie stood in the middle of the room. "Um, what should I sing, though?"

"Don't ask me. You choose what to sing." A look of anger appeared on Adstrum's face. "But not the Splatfest song."

"Okay." She pondered for a moment. "How about Maritime Memory? Wait, that's a song that has two people singing it."

Adstrum gave a thumbs up. "That will work. Who says you need a second person?"

"Okay." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay." She shifted uncomfortably from where she stood.

"Um, you okay?" Adstrum asked her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just...I don't know. I'm used to performing in front of many people. Not a single person, though. But I can do it." She inhaled again and exhaled slowly. "Um…"

"You want the song to sing along too? Or the instrumental version or something?"

"Yes please. I need to get into the rhythm." She jumped up and down in nervousness. She watched Adstrum get up and walk upstairs. A few moments later he came back down with a laptop.

"Give me a few moments." He opened his laptop and started typing away. "Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnndddd….got it." He turned up the volume and hit the play button. "Let your voice be heard, Callie." An instrumental version of Maritime Memory started to play from his laptop.

She listened to the beginning and started to remember the lyrics. She began singing and swayed left and right to the song's gentle tempo. She paused a bit at the parts where Marie's singing would have been. Then continued on and she danced along after she became more confident.

Adstrum listened intently to her voice as she sang. He sat motionless as he did so. He watched her movements as she danced to the music, seemingly amazed.

She finished with a curtsy when the song was over. She looked at him and realized what she just did. She turned red and nervously smiled.

Adstrum said nothing as he brought his hands up and started clapping. "Beautiful." He said with a look of utter amazement on his face, his eyes wide.

"Oh...Th-that wasn't terrible?"

"What? Hell no." Adstrum stood up. "That was amazing. Your voice is beautiful and you still have wonderful dance moves. Sure the dancing wasn't as energetic as you used to do it, but I think that's only because you performed a slower kind of song. But I could tell you were ready to bust a move at any moment." He gave her a thumbs up and then raised his hand to her. "Nicely done, Callie."

She blushed again, and then gave him a high five while. "Yeah!" She started jumping up and down from joy. "My gosh it felt so good to sing in front of someone again! And I missed dancing as well! Oh my gosh!" She pulled Adstrum into a hug. "Thank you! For being a practice audience!"

Adstrum stood there with his arms at his sides and a nervous look on his face as Callie hugged him. "Uh….um….you're welcome." He slowly brought his arms up and returned the hug.

Callie didn't pull out of the hug for a long while. When she did she was still jumping in excitement. "Oh, I can't wait for next Saturday. Oh, it's going to be so exciting! I just hope Cici will have my outfit ready by then. She should be out of the hospital soon, right? Wait she was put in there yesterday. I hope she's doing okay. Wait, my outfit isn't the only thing I need. Tina said she would set up the speakers. What about a band or something to play the music?" She was panicking.

"Callie, Calm down." He shook her slightly. "You don't need to worry about those things. Okay? I'll handle the music myself. Just tell me what song you plan on singing on the day you will sing. I'll find an instrumental version of it online and hook my laptop to the speakers. Does that clear your head a bit?"

"...I have a sudden craving for peanut butter." She licked her lips.

Adstrum had a deadpanned look on his face before he snickered and started giggling uncontrollably. "I frickin love you Callie. You're just as scatterbrained as I am sometimes. Heheheh." He facepalmed and walked into the kitchen. "Let's get you what you are craving."

"Yay." She skipped following behind him. "May I have peanut butter on toast? Oh, and some peanut butter covered crackers? If you have any?" She was getting more excited.

"Sure, Callie. Whatever you want. Heheh." He smiled and pulled the peanut butter out of the pantry.

She gleefully jumped up and down. "Yay! Peanut butter!"

 **Author's Note: Okay, thank you TrickyJebus for leaving three reviews. I greatly appreciate it.**

 **Alright, the chapter. I know it is short, but I had trouble writing it. I was originally going to have Callie sing a song and write the lyrics as she sang them, but I couldn't pick a song...So I went with this chapter. That's also the reason why there's that peanut butter moment at the end. I had to add something to this chapter and Callie's News quote, "Help! I have a sudden craving for peanut butter!" popped into my head. So yeah...See ya all next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 19: Someone kind of new

Chapter 19: Someone kind of new

 **Disclaimer** **: This disclaimer thing has become a habit. I own Adstrum, not Splatoon.**

Around three days had passed and Adstrum was sitting in his home playing video games on a Wednesday morning. On Monday he picked up Callie from work and helped her some more with driving lessons, and on Tuesday he helped her out with remembering turf war a bit more. And during the time of those two days he had also finished the motorcycle weapon and had decided to call it the Ink Wheel. He chose to take today off from...pretty much anything...and is planning on playing games today.

"...I wonder what Callie is doing?" He wondered aloud before banging his controller in frustration. "BURN IN HELL, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF GARBAGE ASS SHIT!"

Meanwhile Callie was busy at work modeling a leather jacket and skinny jeans. Cici was back but refused to get off of Emron's head. He didn't seem to mind though.

"Cici I brought you home… So you could be more comfortable come on… now get off" Emron tried to pulled her off.

"Yeah, I find that weird." Callie struck a pose as the camera squid snapped another photo. "Cici lives in this building. Why?"

"She doesn't have a house" Emron sighed and leaned back.

"Okay...but why live at work of all places?" She placed her hands on her hips. "I could offer her a room at my place."

He shrugged. "She is weird, but she's cool."

"Alright…" Callie struck another pose and looked over at Clair. "What are you doing later?"

"Maybe just chilling"

"Okay. What about Anna? She doing anything later?"

"She said something about finding some sort of Octarian. She said it was spotted downtown?"

"An octarian downtown?" Callie looked concerned. "Any specific locations it was seen?"

"I don't know, but octarians need to be crazy coming here."

"Why is that?"

"Unlike Inkopolis we can kill them instead of having them arrested or splatting them.

"Oh…" Callie's eyes went wide. "But still, octarians can be dangerous. And if it's an octoling...you might want to be with Anna while she looks around. Don't want her getting hurt, right?"

"Of course not but we are so far from Octovalley"

"You can never be too careful. Besides, I've heard downtown is not the safest place...isn't that where the Turf Wars are?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true"

"Great. May I come with you guys?" Callie looked excited.

"That's cool with me."

"Awesome. Thank you Clair."

"Alright, Jewel." Renay spoke up. "That's enough photos for now."

"Great. I'll go get changed now." With that said Callie left the room.

"Okay Cici come on I need to bake bread…" Emron pulled her off.

"..." Cici whined

"...fine..." Cici climbed back on his head

About ten minutes later Callie and Clair met up with Anna in the lobby of Biolumin-Essense.

"I found a picture of them… They curled their tentacles under a cap"

"When did you find this out?" Callie looked surprised.

"It was online as a headline"

"Alright. So guess we should get going soon?"

"I believe we are done for today" Annabelle replied.

"Alright!" Callie turned to head for the door but saw Anita had just walked in. But instead of being her usual snarky self she just immediately headed for the elevator. "Huh...she's not being bitchy?"

"I guess not" Clair scratched her head.

"Huh...I wonder why?" She turned back toward the front door and started walking toward it. "Come on, guys!"

"Hey wait up!" Clair ran after her followed by Annabelle.

After a while of driving they got to downtown. Callie was looking out the windows in excitement while Clair continued driving. They passed by a lot of different inklings, some looking like they weren't right in the head.

After a few more minutes of driving they went came close to the Turf War Subway Station. There was a shady looking Inkling wearing a black hooded cloak. The longer tentacles seemed stiff. It was leaving the subway station.

"There it is" Annabelle whispered as she pointed at the inkling.

"You're right. That's a weird outfit to be wearing…" Callie pointed out. "Why are their tentacles so stiff?"

The inkling turned right and Clair followed. They seemed to be looking through the windows of the supermarket. They seemed to be pondering something.

"Should we do something? If it is an octarian should we confront them about it?" Callie looked confused. "Of all the times to forget what Gramps taught me."

"Yeah let's knock some sense into the 8 tentacled freak" Clair cracked her knuckles. Or attempted to at least.

"Well, what if it's not an octarian. What if it's something else?" Callie opened the door to the car and hopped out. "Let's ask them who they are. But be ready to put up a fight. Just in case."

"I may just knock their lights out instead…" Clair grinned

"No, Clair." Callie shook her head. "No." She saw Annabelle get out of the car and was shaking. "You okay, Anna?

"What if it is a monster?" Annabelle asked

"Then I make stew out of it" Clair patted her back

"...ewww…" Annabelle looked grossed out

"Let's just say hello first." Callie turned to the mysterious figure. "Excuse me. What are you doing?"

"..." the figure didn't hear them and when into the store.

"Oh they left…" Annabelle rubbed her arm

"Want to follow them?" Callie asked.

"Sure we got this far." With that said the three waked into the supermarket.

People stared at the weird inkling as they moved throughout the store. They seemed to be wearing a mask whenever they got a chance to look at it's face. The inkling gathered different types of seafood and put it into their cart. They walked to the product aisle. Some Inklings began following them, including Callie, Clair, and Annabelle.

"I feel like a stalker right now. This doesn't feel right." Callie whispered to Clair.

Finally they got all the ingredients they wanted and went to check out. After scanning everything and accepting payment the cashier patted their head and they continued out the door. When they got outside Callie quickly ran to catch up to them.

"Excuse me."

"Y-y-yes?" They tensed up

"What's with the outfit? It looks...interesting." Callie smiled.

"I have ….sensitive skin…." they stepped back

"Huh, your voice sounds familiar." Callie tilted her head. "Have we met?"

"...umm… Oh, you are that guy's girlfriend right?"

"What?" Callie blushed. "G-girlfriend to who? What guy? I don't have a boyfriend. What are you talking about?"

"The weapon maker… ummm actually I don-" Clair ripped off her cloak.

"gotcha!" Clair smiled

"CLAIR!" Callie looked upset with her. "Why'd you do that?"

"oh… my cloak…." the octoling like person rubbed her arm.

"I am so sorry about that, Iris." She yanked the cloak away from Clair and offered it back to the vampire squid. "Here you go."

"whoa…. You are pretty for an octoling! I'm Annabelle"

"She's not an octoling, Anna. She's a...uh…" Callie pondered for a moment. "Vampire squid. I remember."

"ooohh…" Iris blushed and covered her face with her tentacles.

"Sorry about Clair, Iris." She patted the vampire squid's back. "You okay?"

"sorry… I got really excited…" Clair sheepishly rubbed her head. "I was kinda looking forward to kicked someone's ass…. But you seem nice."

"You are scary…" Iris replied

"Yeah, she can be." Callie pulled the squid into a hug. "It's nice to see you again."

Iris blushed and hugged her back.

"So, what are you doing out here?" She asked her as she exited the hug.

"Papa told me I wouldn't be able to go out…. I wanted to prove him wrong… But… I guess I just looked like a weirdo"

"Well, you did wearing that gettup." Callie smiled at her. "But why would you wear it? You look great without that mask."

"Everyone hates Octarians…. I just happen to have 8 tentacles and look like one so… yeah…."

"I don't think everyone hates Octarians." Callie rubbed her arm.

"I just wanted to make friends even if you were an octoling" Annabelle smiled

"Oh, sorry to disappoint you heh heh…"

"Aw, you have a cute laugh, Iris." Callie hugged her again. "You need a ride home?"

"Maybe… People tried to jump me before without my cloak. Papa broke their weapons"

"We would never jump you, Iris. Right Clair?" Callie glared at her for a second.

"Hehehe…." Clair smiled.

"So you want a ride?" Callie asked again.

"Thank you." Iris smiled.

"Sooo what's your name?" Annabelle asked

"I'm Iris. Barry's adopted kid"

"You guys didn't hear me call her Iris while I was talking to her?" Callie shrugged. "Huh."

"I don't know I thought it would be nice if she told us" Annabelle smiled

"Good point." Callie led Iris to the car. "Where do you want us to take you?"

"Just back to the weapon shop"

"Alright. Clair, I'll tell you where to go." Callie got into the back seat with Iris.

"Your boyfriend is scary too… He makes a lot of mistakes sometimes"

"He's, uh, not my boyfriend. He's just a friend." She blushed. "By the way, I think he finished up his newest weapon. But it might be hard to lift...considering it's half of a motorcycle."

"Oh… I see… I think he's trying to kill me…"

"Oh, no he's not. He just has strange ideas." The car started to move as Clair drove away."Maybe he fixed the weight problem…"

"Don't they seem cute together?" Clair smirked

"It's pretty cute." Iris nodded, "They seemed so close so that's why I thought they were together"

Callie blushed. "When we met you we only knew each other for a few days. Adstrum and I are just friends."

"Papa told me you two were married… but you guys seemed… too young?"

"What?!" Callie blushed even more. "We're just friends!" She hid her face in her hands.

"HAHAHAHA! Papa maybe right soon, kiddo." Clair snickered.

"Stop it, Clair!" Callie continued to hide her face.

"Don't listen to her Iris. She's just in denial… hehe… ask him when he comes to deliver the weapon later. Psh! HAHAHAHA!"

Callie whined as Clair continued to tease her. "Shut up, Marie! Stop teasing me!"

"M-marie?" Clair asked confused and shocked.

"...I meant to say Clair…" She pulled her legs up and hid her face in her arms. "Please just focus on driving. Iris, please tell her how to get to the subway station."

"Okay….. Make a left. Okay… make a right into that parking lot… okay we're here."

Clair parked the car and watched Iris get out. "Bye Iris."

"It was nice to meet you." Iris stepped out of the car and headed for the subway station

"Let's hang out sometime okay?" Annabelle waved goodbye.

Clair looked in the back seat at Callie, who was still hiding in her arms. "Hey… I'm sorry if I went too far…"

"That's okay…" Callie's muffled voice was said. "Could you please take me home?"

"Yeah…" Clair started driving again.

The drive back was silent and Callie was dropped off at home pretty quickly. She got out and headed for the apartment complex door.

"See you tomorrow, guys." Callie waved as she walked to the door.

"Okay. See you later" Clair waved and drove away.

 **Author's Note: Okay, Thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving a review. I greatly appreciate it. And here is another chapter! Alright. The beginning part may not have been needed, but I wrote it in anyway. Because I wanted to. Alright, see you all in the next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 20: Weapon Testing

Chapter 20: Weapon Testing

 **Disclaimer: I own Adstrum. Not Splatoon. Iris, Clair, Barry, Annabelle, Cici, and Anita belong to Apikachua.**

The next day Adstrum had arrived at the Turf War Subway Station holding a metal case. He looked to be slightly struggling to lift it with one arm, however. He entered the Ammo knights and greeted the barracuda behind the counter.

"Hey Barry!"

"E'llo mate." Barry chewed on some gum as he watch the monitor. "Ya wanna grab some curry? Iris made it a moment ago."

"No." Adstrum replied as he set the case on the counter. "Don't like curry."

"Your loss mate."

"Got the newest weapon here." He opened the case and showed it to him. "Check it out."

"Ah did ya? Nice but um what is it mate?"

"Half a motorcycle." Adstrum smiled.

"Oh…. um alright… why?"

"Because why not?" He smirked.

"Okay… mate…. Iris? We got parts!" Barry called out.

"Papa…. You don't need to shout…" Iris walked towards hi., "Good morning mister."

"Hello, Iris. Got a weapon here." He showed her the weapon.

"Is this what your friend was telling me about?" Iris asked. "Um so how does it work?"

"Friend?" Adstrum was confused. "Which friend?"

"The one that kind looks like a squid sister…"

"Oh, you mean Jewel. You two hung out?

"Well, no…. We ran into each other when I went shopping."

"Oh, really? Cool." He smiled before turning back to the weapon. "Well, this is the Ink Wheel."

"Okay… what does it do?"

"Well, it's supposed to act like a faster way to get around the stage. Kind of like an Inkbrush, except a thinner trail of ink, but much faster. Um, you test the weapons, right? Despite the fact me and Chase test them before bringing them here."

"Yes…. um… are you trying to kill me? It looks like this can blow up..."

"I'm not trying to kill you. And don't worry about it. I replaced the gas tank with a battery to allow the motor to run and an ink tank for the, well, ink."

"Oh okay."

"So…" Adstrum closed the case and picked it up. "Think you can lift this?"

Iris tried to lift it, but it didn't budge.

"Alright. So...can you still find out what needs to be fixed if someone else uses the weapon?" Adstrum picked up the case but was slightly struggling.

"Uh huh."

"Okay. So mind showing me to where you test the weapons?" Adstrum smiled at her.

"Umm sure." Iris turned and headed downstairs. Adstrum followed right behind her.

"So you and Jewel hung out last night?" Adstrum asked.

"Not really… We just happened to run into each other." Iris replied.

"Okay… So what did you guys talk about?"

"Well, her friends were with her… They talked about…. you?"

"Me?" They had gotten to the bottom of the stairs and were in a firing range. "What did they say? If you don't mind me asking."

"Well… um are you guys dating?"

"What?" Adstrum looked at Iris confused. "D-dating...who?"

"Jewel…"

"Um...no...I think...I don't know…" He placed the case on the ground.

"Her friend was just messing with her, I guess, but umm, she called her Marie…" Iris pondered about it.

"Oh...she called one of her friends Marie for teasing her?" He stared ahead for a second. "That's interesting."

"Uh huh."

"Well…" He placed the ink wheel on his arm and pulled the Ink Wheel out of the case. He was leaning to the side as the wheel was sitting on the ground. "So should I show you how this works?"

"Okay, let me just activate the bots…" She walked to a laptop and started typing something. "These guys will act like players, but how active do you need they?"

"What?" He looked ahead and saw some Inkling that looked to be made of rubber, with some parts some of the joints revealing plastic insides. "Where did you get these?"

"I made them…. I get lonely in here..."

"Wow...Nicely done…" He smiled at her. "I'm jealous."

"Their names are Gears, Cogs, Springs, Metal, Cannon, Copper, and Livewire."

"Cool. You need to show me how you made them one day." He looked ahead at them. "Um, what do you usually set them to when you test the weapons?"

"Oh, um… I usually ask them to do normal mode. At least when I'm playing a match with them."

"Okay. That'll do. I don't want to get annoyed with hard opponents." Adstrum pressed the button on the handle of the Ink Wheel, causing it to start spinning slowly and some black ink to start flowing over the wheel.

"Normal mode engaged." All the bots moved and actually acted like inklings as they walked to line up.

"Which ones do you want to be tested with?"

"Um...do they respawn like an inkling does?" He knelt down and held the wheel slightly above the ground. He held the button and the Ink Wheel started humming.

"Yeah, I somehow found out how to do that."

Adstrum shrugged. "Alright, bring them. All of them. Let's make this a good test."

"By the way…. They can talk back… I just have them on mute..."

"Unmute them if you want." He sat in the kneeling position, the Ink Wheel still humming it's metallic tune.

"Nah… It's kinda weird." Iris chuckled as Livewire crossed their arms.

"Then start them up. I'm ready." Adstrum looked ahead and smiled.

They moved to their positions. Metal rushed at him wielding a normal roller.

"Party time." He released the button and the Ink Wheel let out a motor sound as Adstrum quickly dashed forward and uppercutted Metal with the weapon, immediately splatting the mechanical inkling. He placed the still spinning wheel on the ground and dashed alongside it, leaving a thin trail of black ink behind him.

Gears swam up to a high vantage point and fired a charger at him. Adstrum dodged it as he continued sprinting with the Ink Wheel and got behind a wall.

Cannon charged at him with it's luna blaster. Adstrum backed up out of his range and smirked. He lifted the Ink Wheel upward with his other arm holding onto the underside. He aimed the wheel at Cannon and held down a second button on the handle, causing the wheel to rapidly spin and ink to fling off of it. The ink flew in an arc and multiple blobs hit Cannon before he exploded in a shower of black ink.

Cogs came behind him with an ink brush. Adstrum heard the brush bristles on the ground and quickly placed the Ink Wheel back on the ground, quickly rushing ahead and going faster than Cogs was. There was a noticeable difference in the ink trails as while Adstrum was going faster, he was leaving a thinner trail of ink than the ink brush.

Livewire zipped close by and fired his Aerospray. Adstrum quickly made a sharp turn and caused ink to splash up onto said robot, similar to when a car drives through a puddle and water splashes upward.

"Livewire… let's not over do this…" Iris muttered and it looked at her for a bit.

The bot hid into it's ink and swam away very fast.

Adstrum continued running and found himself right next to the wall that Gears was on top of. He aimed the wheel upward and started slinging ink onto the wall to create a path.

Copper flicked it's dynamo Roller at him and Adstrum shielded himself with the Ink Wheel. He ran toward Copper and swung the Ink Wheel in an uppercut at him, leaving a trail of black ink from Copper's left thigh to it's right shoulder. Adstrum quickly swung the weapon sideways across the bot's torso, this attack being enough to splat it. He then went back to inking the wall and quickly swam up it.

Gears jumped away as Adstrum got to the top and swung at it. He watched the bot jump to the ground and land in some blue ink, watching it swim away in the trail that Cogs left with it's ink brush.

"Where is the ink brush user anyway?" He looked around from the vantage point he was on.

Cogs was looking around the training room for him as well. It seemed to be trying to be careful.

Adstrum noticed the robotic inkling sneaking around and layed on the ground. He waited until it got close and jumped down when it did. He held the Ink Wheel in front of himself and rammed it into Cogs's face when he landed. The robot exploded in a shower of black ink.

"Still need to take out Livewire, Gears, and Springs." Realization hit Adstrum's face. "Where is Springs, anyway? Haven't seen them yet.

It seemed to hold it's face at the spawn point. Metal patted it's fellow bot's back.

Adstrum ran alongside the trail of ink, covering up some of it with his Ink Wheel as he followed along. He looked ahead and saw a charger scope aimed at him.

Gears fired it's charger at him. Adstrum quickly brought the Ink Wheel up to protect him, the blue charger shot hitting the weapon and pushing Adstrum back a bit. He ducked behind a wall and noticed his tentacles were bubbling under his hoodie.

"Oh, party time." He jumped out of his cover right in front of Gears, noticing Livewire was behind the metallic inkling. Springs jumped out from nowhere and open fired using his dualies. Adstrum quickly placed the wheel in front of him and activated his special. The wheel started spinning extremely quickly and zipped ahead, pulling Adstrum along for the ride. He quickly drove straight toward Gears and Livewire, splatting the former after running into him and turned and chased the latter after it tried to run again, but it was also splatted as it couldn't get away.

Spring looked dumbfounded. It kicked a rock.

"Your turn, Springs." Adstrum turned toward said robot and placed the wheel on the ground next to him.

It smirked and got ready. Adstrum held button down and released to try uppercutting the bot, but instead the wheel came flying off and rolled past Springs.

Both Adstrum and Springs watched with dumbfounded faces as the wheel rolled away. Adstrum looked down at his right arm, seeing the motor and no wheel. "Huh...I found a problem…"

Springs went to pick up the wheel and handed it back to him.

"Thanks." Adstrum grabbed the wheel and stood up.

"Heh… let's call this a draw…" A robotic voice spoke up.

"Fine by me." Adstrum looked up at Springs. "Wait, I thought you guys were muted."

"I don't always follow orders… I'm over here by the way..." Livewire walked to him.

Adstrum turned to look at said robotic inkling. "Oh… okay. Well, good, uh… good game?"

Spring smiled and put his arms behind his head.

"Good game." Liverwire shook his hand.

"Alright. Where's Iris? I need to give her this." He held up the Ink Wheel and the wheel.

"Tending to Cogs. You hit him good." He pointed to Iris sitting with Cogs.

"My bad." Adstrum walked up to her and placed the Ink Wheel on a nearby table. "Sorry about that, Cogs. But I'm not a nice guy during turf wars. Or any competitive thing."

Cogs moves his hand to signal it's no big deal.

"So…" Adstrum sat down on the ground. "Iris, you notice anything that needs to be fixed? Besides the wheel falling off."

"Damage is pretty high, considering you shattered Cogs's face plate. That would probably rip someone's face off…. So I guess I'll tone it down a bit."

"Yeah, the damage is high in order to balance it out with how slow it is to swing it. But maybe it's too high." He scratched the back of his head. "Anything else?"

"The ink lines aren't too straight. But that's probably because the wheel was loose."

"That was proven correct at the end. Need to find a way to keep that from happening." Adstrum nervously smiled. "What about the special?"

"I wonder if that maybe too extreme considering it's like getting hit by a car."

"Well, it is a motorcycle...but I made the special kind of like a Kraken. Except you don't need to jump in the air to splat someone, you can't climb walls with this special, and I was technically still vulnerable using it." Adstrum shrugged. "Tone it down a bit if you want. Anything else important?"

"Maybe make it a bit more manageable to carry…. Other than that we are good." Iris replied as she continued fixing Cogs.

"Okay. Welp…" Adstrum stood up. "I'm going to go home now. See ya Iris. Let me know if you ever need someone to hang with." He headed for the stairs.

"Bye! Let's play again soon." Livewire and the other robots waved.

Adstrum got to the top of the stairs and headed for the front door of the store. "See ya, Barry." He waved to the barracuda behind the counter.

"G'day mate." Barry waved,

Adstrum left the Ammo Knights and immediately headed up the stairs to leave the Turf War Subway Station.

 **Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry I took longer than usual to post this. I was feeling extremely unmotivated for a couple days. I'm thinking of changing the update schedule to every four days, but only time will tell.**

 **Anyway, thank you all for getting the views on this story past 1,000. I greatly appreciate it. Also, thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle and The Dragon Brothers for leaving reviews. I appreciate your feedback.**

 **So the Ink Wheel. Supposed to be a pun on ink reel. I guess. And the robots...well, Apikachua added those. So...yeah. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you next update.**


	22. Chapter 21: Calling for a Friend

Chapter 21: Calling for a friend

Jack was bored out of his mind. Turf Wars were closed off today due to trying to add a new location for turf wars. So he couldn't participate in them today. And he couldn't hang with Marie because she was busy in the new studio today. He was sitting at home surfing through channels on TV.

"Ugh...I'm so bored!" He dropped the remote on the couch and stood up. He headed for the kitchen to make himself some lunch. He was about to open the fridge when he saw a to do list on the front of it, and the only thing that was written on it was to call Cecilia. "Huh, I should do that?" He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, having saved Cecilia's number after Marie told him what it was. "Huh, I might be one of the only people out there who still write a to-do list. And I only wrote one thing on it. That's weird." He pressed Cecilia's number and hit the call button. He held his phone up to his ear and opened the fridge.

An old phone rang from inside Cici's clothing chest.

"The fuck?" Clair raised her eyebrow.

"This is Clothes4U… Cici speaking….what… do you want…?"Cici's voice came from inside the chest.

"Hello, Cici. I'm looking for Cecilia." Jack answered.

"I am Cizzcleeah… nevermind I am her…"

"Oh. Okay. So you go by Cici. Okay. Um, my name is Jack."

"Hmm… I think I know a Jack… "

"It might be me. I got this number from Marie. Yes, the Squid Sister." Jack pulled a few cold cuts and some ketchup out of the fridge and placed them on the counter.

"Agent 3?... The kid…. running around in those horrible clothes…. To save the...whatever… right?"

Jack facepalmed and had a bit of a frown on his face. "Yes, I am Agent 3. And how do you know about that?"

"At one point I stayed in that studio… I heard everything….. and saw you at one point."

"Don't say anything about it. Okay? Anyway, I'm calling to ask you a few things." He grabbed a loaf of french bread off the top of the fridge.

"Your size?... I would need that if you need clothes…"

"No, I don't need new clothes. I have some other questions." He heard her yawn. "Um, are you tired? Should I call a different day?"

"Well no… I am usually like this… anyways what do you need?"

"Um, okay. So…" He put the phone on his shoulder and held it in place with his head. He cut a slice off the french bread and cut it in half. "I'm calling to ask about one of the models you make clothes for."

"All clients' information is confidential… I will not tell you their sizes..."

"I wasn't going to ask that." Jack rolled his eyes as he opened the back of sliced ham and put some slices on one half of the french bread.

"Okay…. what do you need then?"

"I wanted to ask you about the, uh, black tentacled model you make clothes for. I don't know her name but…" He placed turkey slices on the sandwich.

"Jewel…."

"Is that her name? Okay. You sent Marie a letter saying that one of your models had the exact same measurements as her cousin, Callie. And I can't help but notice that the model on the front of Biolumin-Essense magazine looks a lot like her." He started placing slices of cheese on the sandwich.

"Yup… Yeah, imposters are crazy right? " She lied nonchalantly.

"So she's an imposter, huh?" Jack shook his head as he placed his sandwich in the microwave. "I don't think so. I know what my friend Callie looks like and that model of yours looks almost spot on. And the fact that she has the same measurements can't be coincidence." He set the timer and started the microwave.

"Plastic surgery… It's expensive, but it works."

"Wow, you have got the questions covered, don't ya? Look, I'm just going to ask this of you, but if that model really is Callie…" He paused. The microwave buzzed and he pulled his sandwich out, the cheese having melted.

"Are you doubting me? I have been with them for years… YOU think I don't know them?"

"So what if I am?" He squirted ketchup on the sandwich and put the other piece of bread on it. "Look, I might be desperate here, but if she is Callie, could you...could you please let her know that I miss her?…Please?"

"Hmmm, I don't like you…." Cici sighed, "You have no power over me…"

"Oh, fucking forget it. I'm coming to that city in about two weeks anyway." He took a bite of his lunch. "Thanks for nothing." He hung up.

"Enough time to tell Jewel to beware… bye..." Cici hung up.

"You sound mad in there…. Are you okay, Cici?" Clair asked.

"We may have a problem…." Cici replied from inside, "That was the "hero" you spoke highly of…"

"Huh?" Callie looked over at Clair and Cici. She had just finished a photo shoot and was hanging in the studio alone with them. "Agent 3? Jack? How's he doing?" Her eyes lit up.

"He… misses you. Be sure you call him to make him happy, okay? I had to make him hate me…" She seemed a bit sad inside.

"Oh...I miss him too." A tear fell down Callie's cheek. "I should call him. But why'd you have to make him hate you? Wait, how did he get your number?"

"So Marie and him will leave 'Jewel' alone…"

"Wait, he got your number from Marie?" Callie pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ugh…"

"You should know this would happen… I have worked with you two for forever now, but I'll protect you…"

"Thanks, Cici." She opened the chest and hugged the sleepy squid.

"I'm sorry… but don't be here when they come..."

"Okay. I won't. Um, when are they coming? Two weeks? Around the time of the concert?" Callie asked.

"I can book you a vacation with your friends… So thing wouldn't get messy here…"

"You are the best, Cici." Callie smiled. "I won't come to work during that time and risk running into them."

"SWEET! NO TAKE BACKS CICI!" Clair cheered.

"Just be nice... to "Mr. Hero"...when you call him... for me… I won't be able to..." Cici rubbed her arm.

Jack had just hung up the phone and was chewing the sandwich in his mouth. "Jeez, what a bitch." He swallowed and smacked his mouth a bit before looking down at his lunch. "Why did I put ketchup on it? Not bad...but I usually use mustard...Oh well." He shrugged and took another bite.

 **Author's Note: I told you I would upload another chapter in two weeks. And here it is. Now, a few things. I'm still doing classes, but finals are next week. So expect the next update to be next Saturday. About a week and a half from now. Sorry to have to take time, but I need to focus on school right now.**

 **Anyway, thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving some reviews. And also thank you The Bowser Monster for leaving a review as well. Greatly appreciate that. Anyway, thanks for reading and I will be back with another chapter in about a week and a half. See ya next Saturday!**


	23. Chapter 22: Talk at the Bar

Chapter 22: Talk at the Bar

Saturday morning came and Callie was sweating bullets. She was going to be performing tomorrow at the cafe and she was nervous. Cici had finished her outfit, but refuses to show her until tomorrow. She couldn't get any of her friends to talk to due to Clair and Annabelle busy working today and Adstrum wasn't answering his phone. After some time passed she decided that instead of freaking out at home she would visit someone else she knew that she could talk to.

About fifteen minutes passed and a cab pulled up to a familiar restaurant. Callie stepped out of the back of the cab wearing a white blouse and had her tentacles tied up with a white ribbon. She turned back toward the cab and smiled at the driver. "Thank you, Jim. You're a good friend."

"You're welcome, Jewel. Glad to be of service." The middle-aged urchin smiled at her before driving away.

Callie walked up to the front door and looked at the time. It was 8:00 in the morning and the restaurant would be opening at 10:00. She knocked on the glass door and waited.

Usually Chase would ignore people knocking on the windows or doors this early, but when he noticed who it was he walked over and opened it. "Hey Jewel. What brings you here?"

"Hi Chase." Callie smiled at him. "I just needed someone to talk to. Clair and Annabelle are busy working and Adstrum won't answer his phone."

"Adstrum's not answering? Oh boy…" Chase shook his head and led Callie to the bar. "You want anything?"

"Um...A soda." She replied and sat down at the bar. She watched Chase grab a glass and walk over to a soda fountain.

"Which one would you like?" He looked at her.

"Strawberry Printa." She replied. Chase filled up the glass with a lightish red liquid and slid it toward Callie, who immediately took a sip.

"So, you said you needed someone to talk to. What about?" He smiled at her.

"Just about anything. I'm nervous about something coming up tomorrow. Don't ask what it is."

"I won't." He held his hands up and backed up about a foot.

"Yeah, well...I just want to talk. About stuff…." She spun the liquid in her glass. "I just wanted someone to talk to."

"Well…" Chase pondered for a moment. "What do you usually do on days like this one?"

Callie shrugged. "I usually just wander around or hang out with friends. But like I said, they are busy. I would hang with Adstrum but he wasn't answering his phone."

"That's not like him. He almost always answers his phone. Unless he either doesn't hear it ringing or it's an automated call." He pondered for a moment. "Or he just wants to be left alone."

"Speaking of Adstrum..." Callie covered her mouth as she let out a small belch. "Excuse me. There's stuff about him that I'm curious about. He said he used to live in Inkopolis. Why'd he leave?"

"I've tried asking him that same question. He only ever answers with 'Don't ask.' Or he just glares at me." Chase smirked and shook his head. "Although, knowing him, it had something to do with the final Splatfest."

"The final Splatfest?" Callie looked at Chase with curiosity.

"Yeah. He moved here shortly after the results were announced. About two weeks afterward. I'd bet a paycheck that was the reason he moved here." He let out a small laugh.

"Oh. Okay." She pondered for a few moments. "Well, I also want to know why he makes weapons. There were other job opportunities in this city. But why did he become a weapon maker? Do you know why?" She asked.

"Oh, that I do know. But there's actually a bit of a story to that."

"Oooo! I wanna hear!" She could barely contain herself.

"You are excited, aren't you?" He saw her nod rapidly in response. "Alright. Well, I could start with when Adstrum got to this city. I moved here before he did. A few months or so. But back then this city was famous mostly for it's fashion and infamous for not-so-friendly neighborhoods. During that time Turf Wars here were the exact same as they were in Inkopolis. Family friendly games of shooting ink. Nothing major. But the owners didn't pick a very good place to have them be set up. They set up the sign up area in a subway station in the middle of a ghetto part of the city, thinking that the hostile area would be great for business." He shook his head.

"So Iris and Barry live in a ghetto?" Callie asked.

"Yeah. They do. Wait, who's Iris?" Chase looked confused.

"Nobody… a girl." She smiled to hide her lie.

"O-kay..." He raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, apparently the residents didn't like the idea of the turf wars. And the owners didn't get many people competing. They ended up losing money and in a last ditch effort decided to auction the ownership of the turf wars in this city. The auction was scheduled on July 16, which was 4 days after Adstrum moved here. I showed up to see what idiot would buy the ownership and was shocked to see who did. Guess who spent more than half his cash buying ownership of this city's turf wars?"

"Barry?... Cici?...Umm Rena?" Callie started listing every name besides Adstrum's.

"Please tell me you are joking." He gave her a deadpanned look and saw her smile. "You are, aren't you?

"Nope! Just kidding." She snickered.

Chase laughed and shook his head. "Heheh. Okay. Well, I was surprised to see Adstrum standing there taking ownership of the Carti Ridge turf wars. I kept thinking that he was an idiot for the purchase. But about a month later I see the Turf War Subway Station filled with more inklings than usual. And so I decided to check out what was going on. I go in and find inklings holding modified turf war weapons. Bayoneted Splattershots, barbed wire covered Rollers, sharpened Charger barrels…" He held up a finger each time he said a modification. "And then I saw the Ammo Knights had a 'sold out' sign in the window. I walked in and met Barry for the first time. Surprised with how friendly he was."

"He is scary, but yeah! More please." She held her empty drinking glass to him.

Chase took Callie's empty glass and refilled it, sliding it back to her. "There you go. So, I asked Barry how the turf wars became so active and he said it was thanks to Adstrum and his weapon modifications. I asked him where Adstrum was, but he wouldn't tell me. I had to convince him that he and I were friends, which took a while. But when he finally believed me he said he would tell Adstrum I was looking for him. The next day I get a text from Adstrum asking where we should meet. I told him to meet me here at the restaurant. It's weird how much happens here in this building, isn't it?"

"Yeah, huh? I met you and him here…." Callie was lost in thought for a bit. Until Chase snapped his fingers in her face.

He held his hand up to his mouth and made a crackle sound. "Earth to Jewel." He smiled as he watched her blink a few times. "Do you copy?"

"Oops sorry." She smiled. "I wanted to see how you would react."

"Heheh." He moved his hand away from his mouth. "Alright. Heheh."

"Hehe, what were you saying?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. So, Adstrum showed up the next day and he was happy to see me. We caught up with what each other was doing, I was working as the bartender of this restaurant and ended up becoming manager a few months later. He came to this city and told me he bought the ownership of the turf wars because he knew how to improve them. I wouldn't say making them more violent is an improvement, but it worked. Maybe because the turf wars are now violent enough for the people of this city to take notice. So, he made modifications to the weapons, made them more violent, and made some changes to the rules. Now people are allowed to throw punches and hit their own teammates if they get in the way. Or if you just feel like it." Chase shook his head. "Something's not right in Adstrum's head."

"That's…" Callie seemed uncomfortable, "I guess… I don't know what to say…"

"Well, he did save the turf wars in this city. I will give him that. And he did keep the turf wars mostly similar. The rule still stands that the team with the most turf covered is the winner. And he did keep the rank battles." He smiled. "And he is still a kind guy. Don't think badly of him on this, okay?"

"Yeah… But I don't really…. Ah. Nevermind…"

"Okay." Chase looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was 9:00 am. "Alright. Well, we open in about an hour. I still got time to kill."

"Sorry I'm late!" Patty ran in.

"You aren't late, Patty. You are fine." Chase smiled at her.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I - wait… It's okay?" Patty seemed confused.

"Yeah. We don't open until 10:00. And that's not for another 59 minutes."

"But I'm your chef… I'm supposed to prep"

"Then go do that now. You got time." He smiled at her. "We've had less time to prepare in the past. Just go prepare now.

"Roger that!" she ran to the kitchen.

He waved at Patty before turning back to Callie. "Anything else you want to talk about?"

"Yeah." She nodded as she finished the glass of strawberry soda. "The first time I showed up to this restaurant you had the Inkopolis news on and ticked off Adstrum as a result. You know why he hates Marie?"

"Oh, yeah. That. Well...Adstrum just can't stand narcissists. But Marie triggered that hatred more than anyone else could. And I think it was because of his crush on Callie." Chase shook his head.

She turned red and stayed quiet.

"He couldn't stand how Marie made fun of Callie during the news. I told him he was overreacting, but he said he couldn't stand people who are full of themselves. Ironic because he is also a bit like that. I don't see how Marie is like that, but he kept pointing out things that he believed proved she was. Like her smile. He kept saying that it was a fake smile. I don't know, ask him if you want to know more."

"Humph…. It's fake I can confirm that…" She muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, she just annoys me too" She smiled. "Not as much as him though."

"Okay. Well, yeah. Adstrum couldn't stand how Marie treated Callie and got upset every time she made fun of her."

"Hehe… he's sweet… I'm sure Callie would have liked that." She smiled.

"Yeah. He said Callie had the exact personality of the woman he was looking for in life. But he knows he wouldn't have a chance. I mean, she's a pop star. Or was one. I'm curious what happened to her." He said out loud.

"Cici should know… I hope Adstrum luck, but she's a lot closer than he thinks…"

"How do you know?" Chase looked at her curiously.

"Female's intuition." She smiled as she looked at her finger, drawing a circle.

He raised an eyebrow. "Okay…" He finally noticed Callie's empty glass and took it, filling it back up and passing it back to her.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"You're welcome. So, yeah, Adstrum has a crush on Callie because of reasons. But he's obviously not the only person. A lot of people have a crush on the missing pop star. But Adstrum...well, I wouldn't say it was obsession, just the need to make Callie happy." Chase shook his head.

"Huh? How so?" She seemed excited for some reason.

"Well, he didn't know anyway he could personally make her happy. Until Splatfests came along." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "My gosh, he was ugly during those."

"Oh…." Callie rubbed her arm, ' _I mean Marie and I did fight over a lot of stupid things….'_

"I never thought I'd see an inkling walk out of a turf war crying. But Splatfest came and Adstrum was not merciful. I've never heard him talk that harshly before. And he just got worse. Every Splatfest he became worse and worse with the insults and he even punched teammates a few times." He hung his head and shook it. "But he knew what he was doing and he didn't like it. He hated himself for how he acted during Splatfests."

"Does… he blame the Squid Sisters for that?" She seemed guilty now.

"No. He never blamed them. He always blamed himself, or his teammates sometimes. But it was mostly him. Competition changes people and Adstrum is no exception. He did act the similarly during rank battles but not as bad."

"I see…" She rested on her head on her hand, ' _I still feel it's my fault….'_

"That's why he hates Splatfests. I asked him why he kept competing if he hated them and he said he wanted to win them for Callie. He loved seeing her smile on the news and it brightened his day. But I think he couldn't take it anymore."

"Why?"

"He stopped competing in them. Sometime before that 'Splat Power' rule was added. And he seemed happier during those days."

"That's good…." ' _I ruined it for him…'_

"I asked him if he would ever go back to competing in them if and he said only if it was one he couldn't ignore. I think he stopped because Callie kept winning even when he didn't compete. Oh, but don't get the wrong idea. He didn't always pick Callie's team. If it was a theme that he genuinely picked one over the other then he would pick it, even if it was Marie's team. But that hardly ever happened."

"Well, yeah. It was supposed to be like a poll. A competitive poll."

"Yeah, I know that. But he would pick Callie's team whenever he couldn't make up his mind. But anyway, he did stop competing after a while and I'm glad he did. However, I'm pretty sure he couldn't ignore the final Splatfest theme. He was too stubborn and liked Callie too much to not compete in that one. I had already moved out of Inkopolis before that Splatfest, but I can only imagine how Adstrum acted during the matches." Chase winced a bit. "Yeesh."

"I guess, but it must have hurt from the results."

"Oh, I can tell the results did more than hurt him. Whenever I or anyone asks him about his thoughts on the final Splatfest a look of pure hatred and anger would appear on his face, followed by a look of disappointment. He never answers, but it's obvious something's wrong." He got a worried look on his face. "But he never tells us."

"Ah…" Callie looked even more guilty, "And… he left, right?"

"The results are most likely why he left Inkopolis. You can try asking him yourself if you want to." He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. It was a text from Adstrum saying, "Just woke up, but I think I'm going to stay home today. For...reasons…had the dream again." He read it aloud.

"He has his reasons… Oh, it's almost time for you to open… I should get going then."

"Yeah, I noticed." He saw the time was 9:55. "You got any plans today?"

"Well, I was thinking about laundry." She smiled as she lied, "I haven't washed my clothes in a while"

"Will you have time to go to Adstrum's and talk to him?"

"Umm I don't want to intrude… but sure."

"Good. Maybe you'll be able to get something out of him. He says he keeps having this recurring nightmare but he refuses to tell me. He might tell you though, considering how much he likes you." Chase winked. "I noticed how he looks at you. Don't tell him I said anything."

"Like how you like Cici on your head?" Callie stuck out her tongue

"Don't say anything." He had a serious look on his face as he watched her walk toward the door. "Have a great day, Jewel!"

"Bye Chase!" She waved at him and exited the restaurant.

 **Author's Note: Finals are over! I have the summer off from classes! Yay! I will be able to put more focus in this fic! I will try to get a new chapter out in four days, so expect a chapter then.**

 **Alright, thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving two reviews. I greatly appreciate that. And also thank you Jrpurple for leaving a review as well.**

 **Thank you all for reading this fic and thank you for continuing to read it. You are all great!**


	24. Chapter 23: Revelations

Chapter 24: Revelations

Callie began walking toward Adstrum's front door, waving to Jim and thankful he was able to bring her here. She knocked on the front door and waited for a response.

"Who is it?" She heard Adstrum's voice call from the other side.

"It's me, Adstrum. Jewel." She wasn't sure if anyone else was around. "Chase told me to come talk to you. You okay?"

She heard a sigh and could make out the words, "Of course he did." A lock was heard from the door and then it opened, Adstrum gesturing toward the couch. "Take a seat if you want to."

Callie smiled and walked in, sitting on a reclining chair and watched Adstrum sit on the couch. He had his left hand over his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. J-just woke up rough this morning." He was breathing heavily, as if trying to hold something back.

"Are you sure?" She seemed concerned

"Just a dream." He started to breathe through clenched fangs.

"Please tell me the truth… I don't care if you have to punch me either"

Adstrum removed his hand from his eyes and looked at Callie, his face red starting from his eyes. "I would never punch you."

"Well, some people wanna punch someone when their are upset soo… I just thought it would help." She smiled.

"No. I don't wanna punch you. I'm fine now. Just a recurring dream." He rubbed his eyes. "Don't know why it affects me like this."

"But it does… Well if you don't want to tell me.. That's okay. I understand. I just want to you to be happy."

Adstrum breathed in a bit. "The dream...I'm standing in the middle of a garden. And in front of me is a stairway that leads up to a table. There are two chairs at it and Marie is sitting in one of them. Judd is standing on top of a small pillar, sometimes dancing and sometimes not. And the other chair at the table is...empty." A tear started to roll down his cheek. "And every time my eyes land on that empty chair I burst into tears. And it's because I know that chair is meant for you. You not being in that chair makes me…" He placed his hands on his face and leaned into them.

Callie smiled, sat on the couch next to him, and pulled him into a hug, "Think about it like this… I'm not on that chair because I'm standing next to you."

Adstrum lifted his face out of his hands and looked at Callie with wide eyes.

"Dreams are like thoughts right? So if you imagine it like that maybe you wouldn't, you know..."

He smiled and rubbed his eyes. "You are a genius. A beautiful genius."

She smiled brightly as she blushed.

Callie looked at Adstrum, neither saying anything for a solid minute. "Chase told me how you felt about me. You still have a crush on me?" She watched him nod. "Actually I think I have your letter, but it's at the studio... In Inkopolis..."

"That's okay. Did you read it?" He watched her nod. "Surprised you remembered it. I thought you would have tons of mail like that."

She smiled at him. "But Chase also told me about you and...Splatfests."

Adstrum placed both of his hands on his face and let out a groan. "Ffffuuuuck."

Callie nodded. "He brought it up, not me. But...I want to know...how did the final Splatfest affect you? Chase said you never told him your thoughts on the results. I just...want to know."

Adstrum took a deep breath and looked over at Callie. "Alright. Well, I act that way during Splatfests mainly because of the competitive spirit. Think about it. During regular turf wars you aren't losing anything. If you lose you still get points and money. Rank battles I am a bit less friendly because you are betting rank points during those, but you can always get those back." He shook his head. "But Splatfests...When your team loses a Splatfest you never hear the end of it. People kept bringing up the first Splatfest during the last one. And to this day I hear mentions of it. Splatfests are nothing but contests where all you win are bragging rights!"

"We tried giving out sea snails… I thought they were cute. I have one as a pet." She smiled, "Oh no, did I feed him?!"

"Those didn't mean anything to me. And all we could do with them was give them to an urchin sitting in an alley." He sighed. "Do those things eat? I carried the snails I won around a lot and they lived for who knows how long."

"Kelp or other leaves, maybe ink"

Adstrum shrugged. "Anyway, the only reason I competed was to try winning for whichever team I was on. But I almost always picked your team. With I think one or two exceptions because I actually had a favorite during those themes. Whenever you won a Splatfest you had this large smile on your face. Your smile always brightened my day. And winning Splatfests for you felt amazing. But I couldn't stand how I acted during them."

"I'm sorry… Marie and I made you this way"

"No. Don't blame yourself. I did this to myself. I had the choice to stop participating anytime. But I was too stubborn. Until my conscious told me that I had enough."

"But it was supposed to be for fun… I didn't think it would make people upset…. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. I'm not the only person who was upset by Splatfests. Just look at all the ugly arguments and whining that people did before and after those events." He shook his head again. "And I was one of them. I stopped participating and was much better after that...until…The last one..." He sighed.

Callie still seemed guilty. "Sorry"

"I could not ignore that theme. I saw it and immediately got enraged. I was immediately showing zero mercy to the other team. Even before the event truly started. I couldn't stand myself, but I really wanted to win it for you. I put all my skills and focus into that Splatfest…" He balled his hand into a fist and slammed it on the coffee table in front of him. "BUT THAT ALL WENT TO WASTE BECAUSE MY TEAMMATES DIDN'T DO THEIR JOB AND THE OTHER TEAM WAS FULL OF CHEATING BASTARDS!" He placed his left hand over his eyes again and started sobbing. "Agh! Do you know what it's like to have all your hope, trust, and dreams shattered and broken in one moment? When those results were put up my soul shattered. My trust in my teammates was destroyed. I have nothing but pure hatred for anyone that was on team Marie." More tears were rolling down his face.

"It's because I just wasn't as popular as Marie… Everyone like her sassy attitude… They always preferred her over me… I was always second place you know? "

"DON'T SAY THAT ABOUT YOURSELF! Marie never deserved her popularity. A narcissistic bitch like her doesn't deserve any fans!" He had a look of pure anger on his face. "You deserve all the love. You deserve the popularity. You were the kind and beautiful Squid Sister. All Marie had was a pretty face and nothing else!" He rubbed his eyes. "The final Splatfest results made me like this. I left Inkopolis because I can't trust anyone there anymore. I don't know who was team Callie or Marie. I've tried participating in Turf Wars after that event, but it didn't feel right. I couldn't stand it. I left Inkopolis to escape what happened there."

"I got into a fight with Marie that's why it happened…. that final Splatfest. I'm sorry…."

"Don't try to change my mind on this, but I'm going to believe that Marie started that argument." He leaned back and both he and Callie didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"I...the results are kind of why I left Inkopolis." Callie replied. "At first it wasn't so bad. Marie was happy with the results. And I felt happy for her. But...then she started to rub it in." She rubbed her arm. "I know I rubbed it in when I won, but I didn't do it as much as she did. She would take it one step further, though. She'd bring it up any chance she got and would use it as leverage to make me do her chores for her. Saying things like, 'I won the final Splatfest. I don't need to do that.' I don't know why she was doing it, but I just know I was getting tired of it."

"Why doesn't that surprise me that she would do that?" Adstrum muttered.

"I was also getting tired of her attitude. After the splatfest she got bolder with what she would say. She made fun of me a lot more. Making fun of my puns, making me feel bad about little things." Her voice cracked a bit as she wiped her eyes. "I tried to escape it by staying out late and sometimes not going home for days. But I had to go back home eventually. Marie would go back to insulting me and bossing me around. So I decided to leave and not come back. I left a note, simply saying, 'I'm done. I quit,' and left Inkopolis. But sometimes I feel like that was an overreaction." She wiped more tears away. "I love my cousin, but that Splatfest changed her. The results went to her head and...and…"

Two arms wrapped around Callie and pulled her into a hug. Callie held him tightly. "It's okay." Adstrum told her. "It's okay."

The two hugged each other for a bit longer before Adstrum broke the hug. They both sat there in silence for a while.

"So, you think you are ready for tomorrow?" He looked at her with concern.

"Huh? Oh! Right… I'm totally freaking out! " She covered her mouth.

"Don't worry about it." Adstrum patted her back. "Are you prepared for it? Did Cici finish the outfit?"

"... CICI!" Callie jumped up and pulled out her phone.

"Heheheh." Adstrum chuckled. "She wouldn't let you down. I'm sure she has it done."

"But what if it burns for some reason?!"

"Burns? Callie, calm down. You'll be fine."

"I'm not okay! I'm freaking out! Well… and kinda hungry..."

"You want something to eat?" He smiled at her.

"What about my outfit?"

"Call Cici and ask her about it." He chuckled and led her into the kitchen to help her find something to eat. She happily ate a peanut butter sandwich.

 **Author's note: Here's the next chapter. Now, I might be pissing off some Marie fans with this chapter, but I do not care! If you got a problem then go ahead and let me know in a review. Go ahead and vent your anger there if you want to. I'll most likely just laugh, though. Because everyone has opinions. My opinion is that Marie is a bitch. Your opinion could be something else. Good for you.**

 **Anyway, thank you all for reading and thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle and Shadow of the Dragons for leaving reviews. I greatly appreciate them. Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapter coming in three days.**


	25. Chapter 24: Performance at the Cafe

Chapter 24: Performance at the Cafe

Callie was pacing back and forth nervously in the kitchen of Tina's cafe. Adstrum was standing there watching her. "Callie, calm down. Cici said she finished the outfit and that she'd be here with Clair and Anna before you went on the stage."

"Cici can be quite a handful…" Emron was kneading some dough, "don't worry she won't let you down"

"I hope not." Callie continued pacing. She suddenly felt a vibration in her pocket and pulled her phone out, seeing a text from Anna that said they had arrived. "Oh, thank goodness."

"GET OFF!" Clair's voice exploded from the front.

"Sergeant Sleeps-a-lot loves napping on heads." Adstrum smirked as he watched Clair and Anna walk in, with Cici laying on Clair's head.

"Zzzz…." Cici covered herself under Callie's new outfit.

"I TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET HER OFF!"

"Have you tried pinching her waist? Or her side when she's in squid form?" Adstrum asked. He smirked when he saw the deadpanned look on Clair's face. "Is that a no?"

"She bites me when I do…"

"Then retaliate by pinching harder." Adstrum chuckled and watched Cici slide off Clair's head. "Guess she wants to avoid that."

"I… would… die…" Cici muttered and sat on the floor.

"No you won't, you sleepy drama queen." He reached down and picked up both the outfit and sleeping squid. He handed the outfit to Callie.

"Is this it, Cici?" Callie held the outfit in front of herself and inspected it.

"It was design… number 677...zzz…. I have more... if it no good..."

Callie looked at the outfit. It was a purple pink flowing dress. It was longer in the back than in the front. It was sleek yet still classy and cute.

"Seems a bit excessive for a cafe performance, doesn't it?" Adstrum said, Cici laying like a limp noodle in his hand.

"It's fine. Besides, gotta look good, don't I?" Callie smiled.

"Did I... do good….? Zzzz…." Cici muttered as she fell down face first onto the floor.

"You don't need a cute outfit to look good." Adstrum smiled, seeing Callie blush.

"Heheh. You did great, Cici." Callie's face was bright pink.

"Yay… bed time…" She curled up and slept on the floor.

"Sleep tight, you lazy ink ball." Adstrum said as he pushed Cici to the side.

"I got it." Emron picked her up and she climbed to the top of his head.

"Aw, Cici. You are cute." Adstrum muttered before turning back to Callie. "So Clair and I will be the security I guess. What should Anna do?"

"I can… um help with food?" Annabelle scratched her head.

"I'm cool with that." Emron replied

"Great." Adstrum clapped his hands and walked toward the door toward the stage. "This will be...exciting. So where will you be doing your security job, Clair?"

"Back? Or bouncer?"

"You want to be bouncer?" Adstrum asked.

"I can do that." Clair grinned.

"Alright." He gave her a thumbs up. "I'll work the back." He heard the kitchen door open and say Tina standing there.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Tina smiled.

"Oh...okay Tina." Callie smiled at the old pufferfish and followed her. She was led to an area behind the curtain and watched Tina step out to greet the audience...which consisted of only 20 customers. "Not as many as back in Inkopolis, but it will be a good start." She smiled and waited for Tina to finish greeting the customers.

"Thank you so much for choosing Tina's." Tina said as she walked from back stage.

Everyone clapped as Annabelle brought out drinks and food.

"It's rare to see Tina have someone perform on the stage." A male inkling said as he accepted his drink from Anna. "Thank you."

"I wonder who she'll have. Maybe another one of her employees." A female anemone replied.

Meanwhile in the small area of the cafe's backstage Callie was a tad bit nervous. Adstrum walked up to her and patted her on the back. "You got this. Don't worry. Never thought you'd be the kind to have stage fright."

"I don't. I'm just...worried. I haven't performed on stage in at least a year...Will people be happy to see me again?" She rubbed her arm.

"Of course they will." Adstrum smiled at her. "Don't think otherwise. People loved you as a Squid Sister and still love you to this day. Even if you are 'missing.' So get out there and give them a show." He smiled at her before exiting the backstage and sat down near the front of the stage, facing the crowd.

"Okay...I will." Callie smiled proudly and waited for Tina to finish greeting the audience.

"Please enjoy your time here. See you later. Stage is all yours, Callie dear!" Tina walked away.

"Callie?" The male inkling sounded surprised.

"Is she talking about the ex-squid sister?" Another customer asked.

Suddenly the song Bomb Rush Blush started playing and Callie stepped out from behind the curtains, immediately beginning to dance and move to the music. She waited until her cue before she started singing the words to her solo song.

Emron spitted out the water at Annabelle in shock. Annabelle seemed slightly upset.

Adstrum looked over his shoulder and saw Callie dancing to the music and her dress flowing with her. He smiled before turning his attention back to his security job.

Clair smiled to herself as she leaned on the front door watching Callie's performance.

"It really is Callie…" One of the customers muttered.

"No way…" A female inkling in the audience had her eyes open wide at seeing the ex-pop idol singing on the stage. "It is her…"

Some of the people in the audience pulled out their phones and either started calling people they knew or texting them that Callie was singing at Tina's Cafe. However, the song had ended and Callie stopped singing.

"Thank you for listening. I hope you all enjoyed the show." She smiled and started to walk backwards toward the curtain.

"No! Don't go!" Someone yelled out.

"Please keep singing. Encore! Please!?" Another audience member yelled.

Pretty soon everyone in the cafe were chanting for Callie to do an encore, causing her to smile and blush a bit.

"Oh, really? Well, I can't ignore my fans. I'll be more than happy to keep singing." She said into the mic and heard the music start up again. ' _Nice timing, Tina.'_ She thought to herself as she started dancing again.

More cars had gathered in the parking lot and multiple kinds of sea creatures stepped out of them, ranging from Inklings to Anemones. Some peaked through the windows with amazed faces while others headed for the door to get inside.

"Huh." Adstrum peaked over the small audience toward the windows. "Guess the return of a pop idol gets a lot of attention."

Clair got trampled by fans as they flooded the cafe. She got up and looked like she wanted to kill some people.

"Clair, calm down!" Adstrum yelled. "They came to see you know who!"

"Yeah, yeah… Next guy who does that gets a broom up their ass!" She crossed her arms.

"Heheheh." He chuckled and kept his eye on the crowd, seeing how many of them had either shocked or happy looks on their faces. Some even had tears in their eyes.

Callie continued to perform on the stage for around half an hour before she felt that was enough. The song ended and she looked at the audience. "I hope you enjoyed the show, everyone. Thanks for coming." She saw the audience start to slowly applaud her and a few tears ran down her smiling face. ' _I missed this...I hope I remember how I did this again…'_ She did a small jump in the air and struck her old Squid Sister pose, to which everyone screamed and started clapping harder. She waved and stepped behind the curtain, a huge smile on her face.

"Alright, I lost. Here…" Emron handed Tina the money, "To be fair it was worth that and more."

"I told you she was the real deal" Tina smiled, "Where did Cici go?"

"Huh?" He realised she wasn't on his head, "How odd I didn't even notice."

Callie walked into the kitchen with Adstrum and Clair behind her, keep any fans trying to follow away. She had tears running down her face.

"Go away. She's done performing." Adstrum grabbed an inkling that was trying to go past him and shoved them back.

"Where's the broom closet?" Clair asked, "They are asking for it…."

Adstrum shoved another fan and pushed them out the door before finally getting the door completely closed and locked. "There we go." He turned around and walked right into Callie's open arms as she pulled him and Clair into a hug.

"Huh?" Clair seemed confused

"Thank you both." She let them go and looked at Clair. "Thank you for helping set this night up." She then looked at Adstrum. "And thank you for listening to me sing. And for talking to me."

Adstrum blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh...you're welcome…"

Callie looked toward Tina. "Can we do this again on Wednesday?"

"You can come any time you like" Tina smiled, "I'll have Emron get everything ready for you."

"Hey…" Emron whined.

Callie walked up and gave the disgruntled employee a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Emron turned bright red and quickly shut up.

She turned back toward her friends and smiled at them. "Guess we are doing this again on Wednesday."

A box slowly swam across the room. It tried to open the door by pushing it.

"Aw, Cici…" Callie smiled and picked up the box with the green squid in it. "Come on, let's go." She walked out the back door of the Cafe holding the box and was followed behind by Adstrum, Clair, and Annabelle.

 **Author's Note: And another chapter is here. Thank you for waiting. Alright, thank you The Bowser Monster and .1 for leaving reviews. I greatly appreciate them. Alright, next chapter will again be in four days. Or less depending on if I feel motivated or not. Alright, see you all later!**


	26. Chapter 25: Uplifting News?

Chapter 25: Uplifting News

Jack was sitting on the couch of Marie's home in Flounder Heights, flipping through multiple channels on the TV due to boredom. He asked Marie if he could come over and talk to her about Cici.

"There's gotta be something on television." The screen flashed multiple different shows as he kept channel surfing. He was unaware of footsteps coming down the stairs.

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Jack?" Marie said as she stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi, Marie." Jack dropped the remote on the couch and stood up to face her. "Thanks for letting me come over." He noticed she was wearing a silk ribbon dress. "Huh, nice outfit."

"Thanks. Cecilia made it." She noticed the television was on and saw an orange tentacled female inkling wearing a red hoodie and blue jeans. She had green eyes and her tentacles were styled in a single tentacle ponytail. Marie raised her eyebrow at Jack when she noticed how big the inkling's chest was. "What are you watching?"

"Huh?" He turned toward the screen and his face immediately went red when he noticed the large breasted inkling on the screen. "Oh, whoops…I-I don't know. That's apparently where I stopped when you came down the stairs." He reached down for the remote.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Marie said sarcastically with a smile on her face.

"I'm serious!" Jack panicked as he held the remote toward the TV, noticing the name of the show on the screen was Splat X. "It's apparently called that." He turned the TV off and dropped the remote on the couch again. "I wasn't watching anything. I was channel surfing."

"Oh really?" Marie placed her hands on her hips and smirked.

"YES!" Jack yelled, his face still red.

"Heheheheheh." Marie laughed and patted his shoulder. "I'm just messing with you."

"Not funny…" Jack sat back down on the couch embarrassed. Marie sat down next to him. "So, Cecilia made you that outfit?"

"Yup, she is asleep most of the time, but she is really amazing."

"Yeah, speaking of her I wanted to talk to you about that. I spoke with her a few days ago."

"Oh okay what about her?"

"She's was kind of rude on the phone. I asked her about that model named Jewel and she seemed to get very defensive."

"What?!" Marie seemed surprised, "She is the most agreeable sleeping squid I've met. She's never been grumpy….to anyone..."

"Well, she was to me. Anyway, I asked her about this model on the front cover of the magazine you got in the mail...um, do you still have it?"

"Yeah, it should be in the box with the other clothes" She watched Jack get up and walk over to the box. He came back and sat down with the magazine in his hand.

"Yeah, well I asked Cecilia about this model…" He pointed to the inkling on the front. "And she got all defensive or something."

"Oh, that, Looks. A lot like Callie."

"Yeah, but your friend said that she was an imposter. But she said in that letter she sent you that one of the models has the same measurements as Callie. And this model looks a lot like her. Cecilia said it was plastic surgery, but I didn't buy it."

"Jack, she measures people pretty accurately… She can tell it you fake things like you know…. Chests, faces, rears, ect."

"Okay, okay. But she said this 'imposter…'" He did air quotes with his fingers. "Had plastic surgery to get the same measurements as Callie, but I didn't believe that. I'm pretty sure this is Callie." He pointed at the model again.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Marie raised her eyebrow, "Are you sure you aren't imagining it?"

"Really? You are her cousin. How do you not recognize her?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I could be imagining it, but I am still going to visit this fashion company when we go to Carti Ridge. Because I have hope. If it's not Callie, then I was wrong. But if it is her…"

"You must really miss her. I know, I do too..."

"Yeah...but…*sigh* I don't know…" The magazine dropped out of his hand and onto the floor. "I just want to see her again…" He felt a pat on his back.

"Let's watch TV to take our minds off of her for now" She reached across Jack's lap for the remote and grabbed it.

"Alright." He pulled out his phone. "Did you have any plans for dinner? I could order us a pizza if you want."

"Sounds good." She watched him dial the number for the local pizza joint and turned on the TV. She surfed through a few of the channels before something caught her eye. "Oh, news… from… Carti Ridge?"

"Huh?" Jack looked at the headline, which read 'Callie's back?!' "What?" He hung up the phone just as the pizza joint answered and sat down.

"We are bringing you breaking news from Carti Ridge." The Channel 4 Inkopolis news reporter said, "Callie, the missing Squid Sister has been found performing at a local Cafe, according to what people are saying. She quickly vanished after the show. Nobody saw where she or the people she was with have gone. If anyone has more information please contact us at…."

"I knew it!" Jack jumped up in excitement, talking over the TV. "This is way too much of a coincidence. Callie's in Carti Ridge!" He turned into an orange squid and started bouncing around. "WOOHOO!"

"Callie…" Marie stared at the screen, her eyes wide and a small smile appearing on her face. A few tears started to slide down her face. "They've found her…"

"You okay, Marie?" Jack swam up to her feet and looked at her with concerned eyes. What he didn't expect was to be picked up and pulled into a tight hug.

"They've found her!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "She's in Carti Ridge! You were right, Jack!" She tightened her hug.

"Can't...breathe…" Jack said as he started to turn purple.

"Oops" She released him.

"*gasp* Ugh...yeah." He turned back into his humanoid form and smiled up at Marie. "She's been found...I definitely can't wait until we go to that city…"

Marie just looked at him and nodded, tears still streaming down her face.

"Should we celebrate with pizza?"

She nodded again and watched Jack pull his phone out, again dialing the pizza joint.

 **Author's Note: Yay, early update! Because I was feeling motivated! *pumps fists into the air* Yay! Alright, thank you The Bowser Monster and C. L. Critical Lee for leaving reviews. I am very thankful you did that.**

 **Another Marie chapter. *gags* It's short, though. Also, the cameo in this chapter is Dreadangel's OC, Rem Altezio. Splat X is a wonderful story series and, although confusing at times, I would suggest giving them a read. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you again with another chapter in four or less days.**


	27. Chapter 26: Or Bad News?

Chapter 26: Or bad news?

"No no no…" It was Tuesday, two days after Callie's performance, and said squid had her head in her hands. She had seen the news report about her performance and was kind of freaking out. "What would the chances of this reaching Inkopolis be?" She asked, hoping Clair, Anna, or Cici would answer.

They had all decided to meet up at Adstrum's home as he had invited Callie over and she asked if her friends could come. He agreed and Callie arrived with them not very long ago. The owner of the home was currently in the basement working on an annoying ink bomb that keeps going off in his face. The ladies were all upstairs in the living room, snacking on whatever they could find in the kitchen as Adstrum gave them permission.

"You are famous now! Well… again." Clair replied, patting Callie on the back.

"I know...but that performance was just for fun… I didn't think this would happen." Callie held her head down.

"You were amazing!" Anna spoke up, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Thanks." Callie smiled up at the small pink inkling.

"Zzzz… nice… very nice..." Cici mumbled as she cuddled into her sandwich.

"Thanks you guys. But I'm scared of this reaching Inkopolis. I don't need another reason for Marie to come here. If she knows I'm really here then she will look for me everywhere during her time here."

"But that's…. Hard. Considering anything about you would be all over every news station… You did go missing after all…" Anna suggested.

"Oh no…" Callie covered her face with her tentacles. "You're right."

"I still… can get… those tickets...zzz" Cici gurgled, her mantle between the two slices of her sandwich.

"Why do you gotta run from Marie?" Clair asked.

Before Callie could answer her the door to the basement opened and Adstrum slowly came out, a black ink tank in one hand and a rectangular, flat device in his other hand. Both were connected by a wire and he was holding them away from himself.

"Don't mind me. I'll join the conversation after I put this outside. Well, if you want me to, that is." He slowly walked to the back door. "Designing an ink bomb is stressful...and hard."

Only gurgles from Cici's sandwiches replied back. Everyone, except the sleeping squid of course, watched him walk to the back door.

"Okay...well, I'm running because she won't listen. I've tried talking to her but she doesn't listen. Just avoiding her is the easier solution than trying to talk to her."

"But then you will never be happy… Can't you just tell her to back off?"

"Who said I wasn't happy? I have you guys as friends and a nice job. Sure, I miss performing but I'm happy to have friends I can hang with. Back as a Squid Sister the friends I had were usually to busy with other things."

"Zzzz…That… hurts was I just your tailor back then?...ZZzzz…." Cici snored as she tucked her tentacles into the sandwich."

"No, Cici. You were more than that. You were a great friend. I just thought you wanted to be left alone a lot because you slept a lot."

"...There is a reason for it… but I wouldn't tell you why…"

"A reason? Really?" Clair looked interested.

"...I would have to kill you…." She sounded dead serious for a second, "...Just kidding… too much wor-"

At that moment a loud SPLAT was heard and the sound of something smacking against a window was as well. Everyone, except for the tired inkling, looked at the back door and saw black ink covering the back door with two brown eyes opened wide against the glass. The outline of a squid slowly started sliding down the glass door, a squeaking sound accompanying it.

"Squeeeeeaaaakkk…." Cici laughed in her sleep.

"I hope he's okay…" Callie said as she watched the inky black inkling fall off the door and land in some black ink.

"Wanna go poke him with a stick?" Clair joked.

Adstrum stood up out of the ink and looked up from the ground over at something before pumping both of his fists into the air. "YES! IT WORKED! IT MADE ANOTHER!" He opened the door and walked inside. "I have successfully created a new type of ink bomb. And got the ink tank to recreate another after the first blew up!"

"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Annabelle clapped her hands.

"Soon Carti Ridge Turf Wars will have more than just Burst, Suction, and Splat bombs. Just need to think of a name for it. And turn down the power of the explosion...I guess."

"Hmm, how are you gonna do that?" Clair asked as she held a cookie between her lips.

"I dunno…" Adstrum shrugged as he walked into the living room. "So, what are you guys talking about?" He looked down at the sandwich on the couch. "And who left their-" He noticed a familiar green tentacle sticking out from between the bread slices. "Cici, are you really? ...You...you do adorable things without even trying."

"Zzzz… Warm…." Cici moved a bit.

"Well, anyway. Cici, I did consider you a friend. I just didn't hang with you because you seemed like you always wanted to be left alone." Callie spoke up.

"Zzzz… you are… nice… I was kidding… You were always my friend too…. ZZzzz… Bread softer than mister's couch…."

"Thanks. Glad to now that." Callie smiled and looked back at Clair. "I know I should talk to Marie, but I really don't want to. I know running from problems doesn't solve anything, but what else do I do when said problem won't listen to you?"

"Make the problem listen." Adstrum spoke up. "Or do what they do better."

"What do you mean?" Callie was confused.

"Marie's coming here to perform for a concert, right? To help promote the turf wars here. Wasn't my idea, but the people in charge of promoting the turf wars set up this concert without my say so. I nearly fired them after I heard who would be performing. But I was in a good mood that day, so they got lucky. But still, I am the owner of the turf wars in this city. Well, I could pull some strings for you and get you a spot to perform that night as well. You could surprise everyone and get Marie's attention that way. And when you get her attention you force her to listen to what you got to say. I can help keep her attention if you want?"

"If… you face Marie… I know Mr. hero will be there… Can you be nice for him for me? I don't think I can face him…." Cici asked as she swam out from the sandwich.

"Oh, Jack?" Callie asked. "Of course I'll be nice to him. Him I really miss talking to."

"Good, I'll be hiding in my room…" Cici turned back into her human form covered in ketchup and some honey mustard, "

"Who's this Jack?" Adstrum asked, a small look of jealousy on his face.

"A friend of mine. He's a big turf war enthusiast and probably wants to come to this city to try the turf wars here." Callie answered him.

"Isn't he a… a… Zzzz… Secret age-..." Cici rested her head on her soggy sandwich.

"Cici…" Callie put a finger up to her tired friend's lips. "Really?"

"Turf war enthusiast, huh?" Adstrum asked. "Maybe we can do something special for him when he shows up?"

"Zzzz…. Secret aaaagent squid…" She muttered something like a song.

"I'll talk about the special thing later. Callie, don't you have another performance tomorrow?"

"There is?" Clair asked

"Yeah, Callie asked Tina if she could perform again." Adstrum pointed out.

"That's right...I did." She rubbed her arm. "Well, can't disappoint the fans, can I?" She smiled.

"There's the Callie we love. The one that's eager to do a show." Adstrum smiled.

"Yes, but what about the paparazzi? There will be more news coverage there now" Anna suggested.

"Well...I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm giving Clair and Adstrum permission to kick out anyone with a news camera. Or a camera in general." Callie rubbed her arm.

"Or we can just hijack the airwaves for a bit… I hear Iris can do something like that…."

"Only if she's okay with it."

"I'll give Barry a call right now." Adstrum stood up and pulled out his phone, quickly dialing the barracuda's number.

"Alright." Callie smiled. "Another performance. Oh, I'm actually looking forward to this one more than the last."

 **Author's note: Okay, another chapter. To tell the truth I wasn't sure if I was going to get this one written in time. If it seems not as well written as the others or just seems rushed it's because of what I'm about to say. I'm currently visiting family in a different state for a week. I didn't get much time with Wifi as I was hoping I would get but I am not giving up. I will try to write the next chapter in the next four days, but if it takes longer for me to update then it's because I'm not getting many chances at Wifi. I will try to write whenever I can and feel motivated.**

 **Okay, thank you The Bowser Monster once again for leaving a review. Also, thank you for getting this story past 3,000 views. It means a lot to me. Thank you all for reading and if you want go ahead and leave a review. Thanks again and I'll see you all later.**


	28. Chapter 27: Encore Performance

Chapter 27: Encore Performance

Callie was standing backstage in Tina's Cafe, wearing the same pink flowing dress from Sunday, ready to perform for the crowd in the cafe again and was happy to see a bigger crowd than usual. However, she saw that some of them had camera's and, while she didn't have stage fright, she was nervous about being recorded. She was doing this for fun.

"After that news report I don't want any more proof of me being here. I thought Tina put out a no video recording rule or something."

"Yo," a voice spoke up from behind her. Callie turned around to find a strange Inkling boy looking at her, with Clair trying to restraint him with no success whatsoever.

"How did you get you get back here?" She looked at him nervously. "You need help, Clair?"

"Asshole won't move an inch. It's like he's metal or something."

"That I am" The boy replied.

"Adstrum, Clair needs help!" Callie quietly shouted.

"What?!" He ran backstage and looked around ready to beat someone. "What's up?" He noticed the strange inkling and calmed down. "Oh, hey...Livewire." He said after a slight pause of thinking.

"Sup" Livewire greeted, "Iris wanted to hide so people wouldn't freak out.

"Iris?" Callie looked at the metallic inkling confused. "Where is she?"

"I ate her." The metal inkling unzipped his jacket and Iris was hanging on to him.

"Hah. Funny." Adstrum nodded and leaned down toward Iris. "Thanks for coming, Iris. How ya been?"

"It was great, I never really get to go out. Hehe sorry if Livewire scared you. I made sure he looked realistic as possible, but he just walked through security. She broke so many brooms over his head." Iris pointed at Clair.

"Heh. Try using half a motorcycle, Clair. That seems to break them." Adstrum chuckled a bit and looked at Iris. "Again, I'm sorry about that."

"Hey no sweat. If not for us someone would be dead."

"Yeah. Oh, hey, I just finished a new weapon. It's a new ink bomb. Just need to lower the explosive power. I got slammed against my back door."

"Oh, can do." Iris got off Livewire, and turned back into her humanoid form. "Right so what you wanted me to do what today?"

"Could you please find a way to prevent news people from recording me?" Callie spoke up.

"I can either destroy the devices, or just jam the signals."

"Jam the signals." Adstrum spoke up. "Don't outright destroy them. It would just end up attracting more attention."

"But they would still be able to record you…."

"I guess I'm fine with that." Callie muttered.

"I have an idea…." Livewire smirked, "Leave it to me."

"Alright." Callie smiled before she got a text from Anna that read, 'Tina will have you perform in half an hour.' She put her phone away and looked at everyone. "Guess we should get ready."

Adstrum nodded and walked out from backstage while Callie went to the kitchen to get ready for the show, leaving Livewire, Iris, and Clair alone backstage. Clair pulled out her phone and immediately got angry.

"WHAT?! What did you to my phone you creep?!" Clair looked at her phone.

"A virus." Livewire replied.

"There is nothing but dancing cats and I can't use it at all!"

"Yup. Everyone's phones, computers, and/or cameras."

Iris hid behind him when Clair raised her voice.

"Calm down lady…" Livewire nonchalantly replied "Yeesh, this was what you guys wanted right? Is there a brain in there?"

"You are playing with fire there, Livewire!" Adstrum's voice came from somewhere near the stage. "Let me make some popcorn and come watch!"

"I'll fucking kill you…" Clair was bubbling.

"Iris, you should probably go with Mister Tenebris."

"How the hell did you find out my name?"

"I googled it. You are the owner of Carti Ridge's Turf wars."

"Good point…"

Clair was about to leap at the robot, but Annabelle came out of nowhere and grabbed her sister's shirt.

"Clair, let's not mess with him… He is cocky, but he is right." Annabelle suggested.

"Yes, I am." Livewire replied, "But I'm down for a fight. Maybe later though."

"I wanna kick his smug little ass!" Clair growled.

"...Let's go…" Annabelle pulled her sister away.

* * *

About twenty minutes later Tina was standing on the stage holding a mic in her hand.

"Welcome to Tina's Cafe, is everyone ready?" Tina greeted the crowd.

Most of the crowd were looking down at their phones, either nervous or freaking out at what was happening. The few that did look up were actually from the performance from Sunday and were dying to see Callie again.

"Okay, I assume you all are ready anyways. Please welcome her back, Here she is... Callie!" She walked back stage.

The rest of the crowd looked up at the stage as soon as Callie was mentioned, their attention now grabbed. Almost immediately the music started playing and Callie walked onto the stage, already dancing and moving the the music. She was singing the song that would play during Splatfest battles, everyone clapping and cheering to see the Ex-Squid Sister was back.

Adstrum was sitting near the front of the stage, his back to the stage and facing the crowd to keep an eye on them. He had a pair of headphones on and was listening to an entirely different song, as he couldn't stand anything Splatfest related. Even with the music turned all the way up on his Squid Beats player the Splatfest song was still able to be slightly heard, causing him to have a scowl on his face and his eye to twitch every now and then.

Callie's show continued as the famous squid sang her heart out. She danced and sang to her heart's contents, an absolutely huge smile on her face. She heard the song coming to an end and looked at the crowd.

"How is everyone doing?" Callie asked cheerfully. An uproar of cheers came from the audience, "Fantastic!" She brightly smiled.

"Encore! Encore!" The crowd chanted.

Meanwhile backstage, Livewire noticed Iris sleeping on him.

"Is it past your bedtime already?" Livewire petted her, "Wakey wakey… You can't sleep right now."

Iris whined and groggily looked at him.

"Hahaha… I'll get you some sugar. Wait here." He got up and walked towards the back.

On his way back to Iris with a plate of cookies in his hands he noticed Adstrum's sour face. "Hey you okay?"

Adstrum didn't answer. His eyes were twitching more and his was gripping his chair tightly with one of his hands.

Livewire poked his shoulder, to which Adstrum's hand shot up and grabbed the robot by the throat. He looked up and saw who it was before releasing his grip. "Don't talk to me right now. Not while this song is playing."

Livewire shrugged and walked away. He walked backstage and placed the plate of cookies in Iris's lap.

"Seriously, wake up Iris…" Livewire gently moved her.

Iris nuzzled into him and slept some more.

"Iris… Look cookies. Wake up"

"...mmm?" Iris sleepily stared at him.

"Cookies."

"Oh thank you..." She started nibbling on the cookies.

* * *

A few minutes later the music stopped and Callie bowed to the audience. She walked behind the curtain, a huge smile on her face, and was about to head to the kitchen when Livewire tapped on her shoulder.

"Yo what's up with your boyfriend?" Livewire asked.

"Boyfriend? Who? Adstrum? He's just a friend." She smiled nervously. "And what are you talking about?"

"I don't know. He looked uncomfortable"

"He did?" She pondered for a moment before it hit her. "Oh...the song was a Splatfest one...Oh, I hope he's okay."

"By the way is this yours?" He pointed to a bucket, "They were apparently in a bucket."

"Zzzz…." Cici snored.

"Eh, she's my friend." Callie took the bucket and tilted it, Cici sliding out and starting to sleep swim around. "She sleeps a lot."

"Zzz…." Cici climbed up Livewire and nuzzled up in his metallic tentacles.

"Hmm…." Livewire seemed intrigued.

"Heh, she likes sleeping on heads." Callie smiled and shrugged.

"Ah… but isn't it uncomfortable? Wait, you guys are squishy…."

At that moment Adstrum walked backstage and Callie turned to face him. "Hey Adstrum. Sorry about the song. I didn't know it would be that. I just went along with it."

"It's fine." He said as he shook his head real quick. "It's over now." His eye twitched one last time. "Stupid Splatfests were a mistake." He pulled out his phone, finding it working again.

"Hmm do you not like that song?"

"I can't stand anything Splatfest related. Makes me very uncomfortable and very mean." Adstrum answered the robot.

"I'm ready to go home." Callie spoke up. "I'm going to go thank Tina for letting me perform again. Thank you Iris and...Livewire for helping with the news and video recording prevention." She walked toward the kitchen, Adstrum following behind her.

"Iris, I will be coming by tomorrow to test the new ink bomb, okay?" Adstrum told her.

"Uh huh, I'll see you tomorrow" She smiled.

Livewire watched them walk away, a thought entering his mind as a smirk appeared on his face.

 **Author's Note: And here's the next chapter. I wasn't as limited in my time on Wifi as I thought. So, thank you The Bowser Monster for leaving a review. And thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle for also leaving a review. I greatly appreciate them. Thank you so much.**

 **Alright, next chapter will be in four or less days. Look forward to seeing it. Thank you all for reading and I will see you all next chapter.**


	29. Chapter 28: Bombs and Fights

Chapter 28: Bombs and Fights (No relation to each other)

Adstrum was walking down into the Carti Ridge Turf War Subway Station, a familiar purple haired inkling walking beside him. He invited Clair along for two reasons. One was that she wanted to get back at Livewire for the virus stunt he pulled yesterday. The second reason was that he needed help carrying a crate down the stairs to the Ammo Knights. Callie, Anna, and Chase all had to work today, and Cici was, well, sleeping of course.

"Thanks for helping me with this, Clair." Adstrum smiled at her as they set down the crate in front of Ammo Knights. "Surprised you agreed to help me carry a box of explosives." He pointed to the crate.

"Eh, I got nothing better to do." Clair shrugged

"That and you want payback for yesterday." Adstrum smirked. "At least he purged the virus after the performance."

"It's not the virus that was the problem…. It's his stupid cocky face!" her tentacles bubbled.

"Oh, I hate it too." He nodded at her. He opened the door of the Ammo Knights and started to drag the crate inside. "You push, I'll pull."

"Got it" she pushed it and together they were successfully able to make it inside.

"Hey Barry! Where are you?!" Adstrum yelled out.

"Oi mate keep it down, will ya? I'm watching the tellie." Barry replied from behind the counter.

Coggs waved to them from beside the barracuda. Adstrum waved back while Clair bared her fangs.

"You…" Clair growled

"?" Coggs pointed at himself, he looked scared and confused.

Adstrum smiled and patted Clair on the head. "Wrong robot, Clair. That's not Livewire. I think that's the one I broke. Sorry about that."

"It's okay…" Cogg's voice was quiet.

"Oh, great. Now you are talking as well." Adstrum chuckled. "Nice to hear you talk back, though.

"There's more?!" Clair tilted her head.

"Um...y-yes? We all can talk… I just prefer not to..."

"I thought Iris kept you all on mute but Livewire never listened to that order." Adstrum commented as he opened the crate. "Is that only during practice?"

"No only when customers are here. Otherwise we have to act like customers."

"Huh….Okay." Adstrum shrugged as he pulled out an ink tank with a squarish flat ink bomb attached to it. "Before I forget, Clair, this is my gun selling buddy, Barry. Barry, this is my easily pissed off but genuinely nice friend, Clair." He pointed from one to the other.

"G'day m'lady." Barry greeted her.

"Just Clair is fine." Clair replied.

"Do NOT...try hitting on her, Barry. Chase got punched for doing that." Adstrum said as he walked toward the door to the basement.

"A fiesty one? Ya have interesting taste, mate" Barry chuckled.

"Shut up, ya sharp toothed bastard!" Adstrum yelled from the stairs.

Clair rolled her eyes and started dragging the crate toward the stairs. Coggs went to help her carry the crate.

Loud sobbing could be heard.

"Hey, Iris!? You down here?!" Adstrum yelled as he placed the bomb and ink tank on a nearby table. He walked a few steps before nearly bumping into Livewire. "WOAH! Where'd you come from?"

"Hello. Just getting away from Canon's sobbing"

"I would ask how a robot can cry, but you guys are more inkling than robot. It's creepy. Like a synthetic."

"BUT THEY WERE IN LOVE!" Canon continued his tearful blubbering.

"Help. Me." Springs was trying to escape from Canon's bear hug.

"Why isn't Iris here to help?" Adstrum asked as he looked at the strange sight in front of him.

"She got into tinkering so she should be in the shop"

"Can someone go get her please?" Just as he asked that one of the bots ran past him to go get Iris. "Which one was that again?"

"Gears, she's pretty active." Livewire replied.

"I can see that." Adstrum looked over at the stairs and saw Clair and Coggs come down with the crate. "Here she comes to wreck the DAAAAYYY!" He gestured over at Clair with a smile on his face.

"Oh, har har." Clair rolled her eyes before she noticed Livewire. "Oh, hey it's you again… right?"

"Yup, I'm Livewire"

Adstrum looked between Clair and Livewire before walking over to a robot sitting in a chair away from the rest. "You're either Metal or Copper." He held up the ink bomb in his hand. "Want to help me test this?"

"Metal sir, at your service." The robot chimed back

"Oh, you were the first one I took out last time I was here. You need redemption. Come with me." He patted the robot's back and started walking toward an empty area. "Can you change your ink color?"

"Any color?" Metal saw Adstrum nod in response. He turned a bright yellow.

"Good." Adstrum held up the ink tank full of inky black ink. "This color."

"Um yessir" He turned his tentacles blackish gray.

"Let me help you." Adstrum opened the ink tank and dunked his hand in before smearing it on Metal's head. "This is how we inklings do it. Either by getting the color of ink placed on us or through some other substitute. Like an orange drink."

"Anaylzing…. Complete." He changed to match the color.

"Perfect." He shoved the ink tank into Metal's arms and placed the strange bomb on the floor. "All we are doing is testing the power and blast radius of this right now. I did try to nerf it, but I'm not sure."

"Your orders then for the, um… thing?"

"Just throw the bombs. You can only throw one at a time, though. Trying to throw another will just cause the one you threw to blew up. They don't have a timer. They are set off remotely." Adstrum smiled. "You have your tank…" He ran over and pulled another tank out of the crate. "And I have mine. Let's throw them around, test how much ink each bomb costs to throw, and how big a blast radius they have."

"Understood." Metal nodded. "What do you call these bombs?"

"They don't have an official name. I've just been calling them Puncakes."

"PANCAKES!" Gears pulled Iris with her, "I wanna eat them someday!"

"It's not pancakes. It's Puncake. Watch. PUNCAKE!" Adstrum yelled as he threw a bomb at Metal's feet before setting it off remotely. The blast knocked Metal back a few feet, but it didn't hurt him.

"Minor bruising may occur at that power." Metal reported

"Which is why we are testing them." Adstrum dove into his ink for a bit before popping out and throwing another bomb. "PUNCAKE!"

Iris stared confused as she saw Metal and Adstrum took turns throwing bombs at each other before she noticed Livewire dashing and jumped over Metal.

"Heads up!" Livewire shouted as Metal was shot with purple iced ink needles.

"Death… may occur… error…" Metal muttered before another 'puncake' went off next to him, covering him completely in black ink and removing the needles.

"What the-?" Adstrum muttered when he noticed the needles were gone from Metal. "That's interesting." He took cover when more needles flew past him.

"I didn't splat?" Metal seemed confused.

"GET BACK HERE YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Clair pushed Metal to the side.

"Wow, not here for five minutes and Livewire already pisses Clair off." Adstrum watched as the hot headed squid ran after the synthetic inkling.

"Copper?" Iris peeked into a box.

"Is the scary lady gone?" She asked

"Come here, Metal." Adstrum took the robot's arm and started walking elsewhere with him. "Let's find a different area around here to test the bombs while Clair and Livewire duke it out."

"Yessir." Metal nodded.

Meanwhile Livewire kept dodging every needle Clair shot at him, seemingly smirking at her every chance he got.

"Oh dear…." Iris looked around at all the ice spikes.

"Everyone else got splatted in the crossfire…" Copper muttered from in the box.

Livewire continued dodging before running over to the wall.

"Shit…." Livewire looked at the wall. He pulled out an aerospray, "My turn then"

He started firing back at her. Clair dodged and fired back. Livewire dove into the ink and swam past Clair. Clair shot at him missing every shot. Livewire jumped out of his ink, tackled her, took her dualies, and put them into his storage.

"Hey, I think we wrecked the place enough." Livewire stretched out his body.

"HEY THAT'S MINE YOU BASTARD!" Clair was steaming.

"You can have it back when you are a good girl."

"You….."

"... my testing arena…. What did you do Livewire?" Iris asked

"I just said she doesn't think too much" Livewire was tackled by Clair.

"Livewire, that's not very nice…."

"But it's true!"

"Puncake!" Metal's voice was heard.

"Puncake!" Gears's voice was heard soon afterward.

"Yes, jump with it!" Adstrum's voice was heard as well, followed by all three of them approaching Iris, Clair, and Livewire. They were jumping around like idiots, Adstrum and Metal holding an experimental bomb in their hands. "Jump with the puncake. Bounce around with ze Puncake!" He looked over at Gears and saw her holding a Splat bomb. "That is not a puncake, but that will do my friend. She is holding a burrito! Bounce around with the Puncake and the Burrito!"

"Nevermind I think all of them don't" Livewire crossed his arms.

"Shut up and get your head out of your own ass already." Adstrum smacked Livewire in the back of the head. "We're just having fun. Iris, Metal will give you a full report on the testing of the...well I call it Puncake, but let's officially call it the INC4. I was surprised to find that it can heal other teammates with it's explosion. Heck, if we can find a way to separate that trait from this bomb then we could technically have two new bombs. One that hurts enemies and one that heals teammates.

"I don't generally have an ass" Livewire snickered, "But noted under the no fucks I give."

"Was he designed to be an ass?" Adstrum asked Iris. "Because I hear nothing but shit coming out of him."

"Umm… he is actually nice, but he is cocky."

"Alright. Welp...I tested the bomb. Metal has the results. Guess we should get going, right Clair?"

"... yeah… I'm still pissed off" Clair growled.

"Hey wanna play a match?" Livewire asked.

"Huh? Why?" Adstrum asked confused.

"I've got a test of my own."

"I don't like this…" Springs muttered.

"All right." Adstrum placed the INC4 on the table and followed the cocky robot.

"Good…." Livewire smirked.

"So…" Adstrum reached inside his jacket and pulled out one Ink Claw. "So, what brought this up?"

"The concert…"

"What?" Adstrum became suspicious.

"Let's just play."

"Okay, let's par-" Before Adstrum could some music started playing. Music that immediately made his eye start twitching.

 **Author's note: Oh, that was close. Almost missed this deadline. Got off a five hour flight just to wait 3 hours to get on an hour and a half flight just to get home. I'm surprised I got this chapter written. I really need to thank Apikachua for their help with this one.**

 **Again, thank you The Bowser Monster for leaving a review. I greatly appreciate it. Also, thank you all for getting this story past 4,000 views. It means a lot to me. Thank you all for reading. See you again in four days...hopefully.**


	30. Chapter 29: All Hell Breaks Loose

Chapter 29: All Hell breaks lose

Adstrum stared at Livewire with a look of absolute anger and hatred on his face. "Why is this music playing?" He said through gritted fangs.

"It's part of the test..." Livewire replied.

"Turn it off." Adstrum said to the cocky robot as he reached into his jacket. His hand disappeared into the inside fabric of the jacket, which turned out to instead be a wall of black ink.

"Curiosity dismantles the bot…." Springs sighed peeking from the table, " I can't. Springs hijacked my body..."

"Wait... you are Livewire? And the one fighting is Springs?" Cogs shouted

"Huh? Wait then you are Livewire..." Iris covered her mouth

"Yup."

"Whoa, whoa, you weren't at the concert?" Clair asked

"Sadly, no. My communication would fail if I go too far from the computer so no, but I watched you from the security camera, she did wonderfully, by the way."

"Okay, now I'm confused and even more pissed off now. I said…" Adstrum pulled his hand out of the wall of black ink, holding onto some kind of handle. "Turn it off...NOW!"

"Iris… looks like you will have to make me a new body… again…." Livewire sighed.

"I figured he would…."

"I'm giving you a warning, Livewire." Adstrum had a demented smile on his face. "You should call yourself lucky that I am giving you one. Turn off the music…"

"Nah… I wanna see your strength"

"You'll see a lot more than that." Adstrum's face turned back to pure anger and he yanked out what looks like a sledgehammer, except one half of the sledgehammer head was replaced with what looked like a miniature rocket engine while the other half had small tubes of ink drenching said half in black ink. The tubes were connected to a miniature ink tank attached to the upper part of the handle.

"Nice knowing you Springs…." Livewire walked upstairs.

"You never tested the limits of this new model!" Springs stuck out his tongue.

"Say goodbye to that 'new model' body of yours, Livewire." Adstrum started walking toward him, holding the sledgehammer in his right hand.

He took out Clair's dualies and got ready.

"Hey! Those are mine!" Clair growled

"Oh, those won't help you, you arrogant shit." Adstrum continued walking closer.

Springs shot ice needles at him. They stuck into him and he stopped walking. He looked at them before pulling them out one at a time, still walking toward the bot.

"Tsk." He fired multiple waves at him. Adstrum continued walking, the ink needles only slightly slowing him down.

Livewire walked back with "popcorn". He sat down to watch the fight.

When Adstrum got close enough he reeled back and pressed a button on the handle, causing the mini rocket engine to fire. He swung the sledgehammer at Springs.

Springs jumped over him and dashed away to get some distance. Adstrum turned and ran right after him, holding the hammer at the ready. Springs shot waves of needles at him, which he either avoided or took head on, still continuing his pursuit.

When he got close enough Adstrum swung again, hitting Springs in the side and sending him flying ten feet away.

"Ow… That could have killed someone..." Livewire muttered.

"Lucky for him he's a robot!" Adstrum yelled as he ran and held the sledge over his head. He swung it down right on top of where Springs was, who rolled out of the way in time. The impact of the hammer spread black ink in a wide area in front of him.

"I would ask you to not wreck my body, but... meh. Too late…" Livewire munched on the "popcorn."

Adstrum stared at Springs, his pupils seemingly dilating. He swung at the bot again.

"..." Spring roll dodged to the right. Adstrum continued swinging the hammer at him, scraping the bot a few times.

Springs jumped over his swing and dashed away to get distance again. He fired at Adstrum as he moved away.

Adstrum quickly followed and either dodged or took the ink needles head on.

Springs tossed splat bombs at him. Adstrum stopped and turned into a squid, disappearing inside the ink in his jacket. The splat bombs went off and he reappeared, completely unaffected. Although his jacket was covered in purple ink.

"Huh? They didn't do anything?" Springs muttered to himself.

Adstrum sprinted and jumped at Springs, slamming into him and pinning him to the ground. "I will smash the music thing out of you if you don't turn it off." His face was both angry and...sad? It was like he was fighting between emotions.

"Alright! I just wanted to see your power…. Sheesh." the music shut off.

Adstrum hit Springs with the sledgehammer once more and then walked away, leaving a dent in the bot's shoulder. "Dumbass bot." He walked toward the stairs while putting the sledgehammer back in his jacket.

"...idiot…" Livewire sighed and helped Spring up.

"... Come on. We need to check on your circuits…" Iris pulled Springs away.

Adstrum walked by Clair, who's eyes were wide. He looked at her and she took a small step back. "I'm leaving. You coming?"

"...no...I'll take a bus..."

Adstrum sighed. "I don't blame ya. After what just happened." He still had his fags bared, but he looked more sad than angry. He walked up the stairs and disappeared from view.

"But you seem waaayy too dangerous for Callie... " She muttered to herself as she picked up her dualies, "Iris how much damage was that?"

"Well, let's just say the person would be a pulpy mess" Livewire replied, "Yeah pretty bad…"

"I thought so… Callie would be put in danger if she sang those songs…. Even Marie would be….." She walked out quietly thinking to herself.

 **Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Now, thank you The Bowser Monster, ThePizzaLovingTurtle, and alex for leaving reviews. Awesome, three reviews before another chapter came out. New record!**

 **I'm glad you like the fic, alex. Thanks for reading and leaving a review.**

 **Alright, next chapter will be, again, in four days or less. Leave a review if you wish, but remember the rule from the prologue. Anyway, thanks for reading and I will see you all later!**


	31. Chapter 30: Calm after the Storm

Chapter 30: Calm after the Storm

"Really? He acted like that?" Callie asked Clair. They were sitting in her dressing room at Biolumin-Essence. Callie had just finished a photo shoot and was getting ready to leave when Clair approached her to tell her about what happened with Adstrum.

"Yeah… So I wonder if it's a good idea to hang out with him" Clair rested her head against her hands.

"Are you sure there wasn't any other reason why he did that?" Callie smiled nervously.

"Yeah, the song just drove him up the wall"

"But when I sang it he didn't do any of that." Callie pointed out.

"He could have been holding himself back, but it's dangerous at the same time."

Callie stood up and went behind a curtain, the outfit she was currently wearing being flung over the curtain and she stepped out wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie vest. "Well, I want to hear his side of the story." She grabbed her purse and walked toward the door. "Come on. Let's go."

"Well, I can't stop you, but I can say watch your back around him."

"Mean bossy lady…. I want cookies…." Cici pulled on Clair's uniform. "Hello… Callie…"

"You're coming with me, Clair." Callie placed her hand on her hip. "If what you say is true then I need someone to protect me. That, and you are my ride." She looked down at the sleepy squid and waved. "Hi, Cici."

"I'm a go…. See Chase… he maybe has cookies…." Cici walked away and straight into a door.

"Okay, have fun." Callie smiled and held the door open for her. She turned back toward Clair and gestured for her to come along. "Come on. Let's go."

"Oh boy… That hibernating silly idiot." She rolled her eyes, " Hey Cici I'll drive you! Get your lazy ass back here!"

She ran after the green sleepwalking squid.

"Really? Wow. Surprised you aren't trying to talk me out of going to see Adstrum." Callie looked surprised. "Well, guess it just saves us time." She smiled and followed her.

"Be good, Cici." Clair opened the door for her.

"Bye mean boss lady, bye Callie" Cici muttered and walked into Chase's restaurant.

"Bye, Cici!" Callie waved then looked at Clair. "Alright. Off to Adstrum's house."

"Wait, we are going there now?" Clair looked confused.

"Yeah. We talked about this before we left work."

"But I don't know how I feel about this"

"Look, we're already driving and we're close. Let's just go and see how he is. I think he just needs someone to talk to."

"How do we know he isn't just going to pound us?"

"Well, I know he won't hurt me." Callie gave Clair a wide smile and laughed.

"Oh good, I get to be squid cakes…."

"I'm kidding, Clair. And I'm sure you can take him." She playfully punched Clair in the arm.

"I don't like this…" She whined.

A few minutes of driving later they pulled into the driveway of Adstrum's home. Callie stepped out and immediately headed for the front door, Clair stepping out and following after her with her dualies pulled out.

"Do you have to have those out right now?" Callie looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"I rather not go to the hospital today"

Callie rolled her eyes and knocked on the door. "Adstrum? You home?" She looked in the window and saw a figure sitting on the couch. "You okay?!" She didn't hear a reply and looked at Clair.

"Maybe he's just asleep?" She shrugged

Callie grabbed the doorknob and turned it, finding the door unlocked. "Adstrum, I'm coming in. Okay?" When she didn't get a reply she pushed the door open and looked around. The only light was coming from the television, which showed a paused game of a first person shooter. She saw Adstrum sitting on the couch, hood over his head as usual and his head hanging downward. One hand was on his side while the other was wrapped around a hammer like weapon.

"Hey! You left the door open!" Clair shouted

"SHHH!" Callie turned toward her and placed her finger to her lips. She then pointed to the sledgehammer weapon sitting next to Adstrum. "Let's not startle him."

"He pounds me, we are not speaking ever again. Maybe I should have asked Cici to stay… as back up..."

"That sounds fair. I did drag you along." Callie nodded and turned back to the Inkling on the couch. "Adstrum? You awake?" She saw his body twitching and took a cautious step closer. She knelt down in front of him and he tightened his grip on the sledgehammer.

Clair put her fingers on the triggers.

Callie smiled warmly and placed her hand on his shoulder. His grip loosened and she got closer. "You okay?"

"I don't like this…" Clair muttered quietly.

Callie ignored her and placed her hand on Adstrum's chin. She slowly lifted his head up to look at his face. "You okay?" His face was hard to distinguish. It looked to be a mix of anger and sadness, tears rolling down and angry eyes. His face kept twitching as he looked at Callie.

"Who won?" He muttered.

"Err what?" Clair removed her fingers from the triggers

"What do you mean, Adstrum?" Callie asked confused and concerned.

"Which team won the Splatfest?" He asked.

"But there hasn't been one…." Clair replied

Callie pondered for a moment before answering. "Um, your team did." She nervously smiled.

"Good. Good." He had a small smile on his face. "Another win for you, Callie." His face went back to the angry/sad contortion it was before.

Clair drew circles in the air near her ear.

Callie shook her head at her. "Don't do that…...it might be a bit true…"

"It's definitely true." Adstrum said.

"But that doesn't mean you should make fun of him." Callie finished.

Clair shrugged, "I wasn't, but this doesn't seem right… It's even weirder than Cici…"

"Well, he does seem aware enough to notice you calling him coocoo." Callie looked back at him. "You okay, Adstrum? Clair told me what happened. Why did you act like that yesterday?"

"It was definitely scary…"

"That fucking robot just had to play that song…" Adstrum muttered in response. "Evil song at wrong time…"

"Luckily it was a robot, if it were just a little child. They wouldn't survive…" Clair crossed her arms.

"Yeah they would. The ink on the hammer splats them before death happens. Doesn't mean they wouldn't end up in the hospital, though."

"I doubt I believe that…." Clair muttered biting her thumb

"Evil song?" Callie sounded a bit offended.

"It's a good song, Callie. I just personally hate it. Only because it's played during those evil events." He tightened his grip around his hammer again. "Springs just had to play that song on a battlefield. It brought back flashbacks…Bad memories...bad memories…...BAD MEMORIES!" He lifted the sledgehammer upward and slammed it onto the floor, splashing ink outward.

"..." Clair jumped back a bit putting her fingers back on the triggers

Callie screwed her eyes shut and winced when she felt ink hit her legs. "Sss, ow."

"Sorry…" Adstrum sounded quilty.

She opened her eyes and saw him holding a couch pillow at an angle at her side. She saw black ink dripping from it.

"You could have hurt her…." Clair growled a bit

"I'm sorry…" Adstrum muttered and dropped the sledgehammer back on the couch.

Clair's ears flickered as she removed her fingers from the triggers.

"It's okay, Adstrum." Callie smiled and gently patted his head. "You want to talk about anything?"

"I don't know." He muttered.

"Well, you want us to stay in case you think of anything to talk about?" She saw him nod and sat on the couch next to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently patted him.

Clair leaned against the wall. She looked at her phone hoping someone would pull her out of here.

"So...how are you feeling?" Callie asked. When Adstrum shrugged she smiled and looked at the TV. "You playing a game?" She saw him shrug again. "It feels a bit too hot in here to be wearing a jacket. Shouldn't you take your's off?"

"I guess…" He pulled his arms out of the sockets and took his heavy jacket off.

Callie smiled and took his jacket. Before she could do anything she saw him lean over and placed his head in her lap. She blushed and looked up at Clair.

"..." She seemed a bit confused and uncomfortable.

Callie shrugged and gently patted Adstrum's head.

After about ten minutes passed and Adstrum's head shot up. "I am back!"

Callie and Clair looked at him with wide eyes and confused faces. "Um, welcome back?" Callie sounded unsure.

Clair rubbed the back of her head.

"I feel better." Adstrum smiled at Callie.

"Well, that's good." She smiled back.

"...yay?" Clair still seemed lost.

Callie grabbed Adstrum's jacket and looked at the inside of it. "Clair, you mind turning on the light?"

"Oh, um, I think these are it…" She flipped them on.

Callie's jaw dropped open when she saw the room. There were parts of the walls and floor splattered in black ink. Some was dripping from the ceiling and she noticed that even some black ink was leading into other rooms and up the stairs.

Clair sighed, her phone pinned and she looked at it. "Oh, I gotta go pick Anna up. Cici will babysit you two."

"Babysit?" Callie was confused. "We're not kids."

"I think she just wants a reason to get out of here." Adstrum muttered as he watched Clair walk out the door.

After a while Cici walked in through the door.

"Mean bossy lady…. told me to babysit you two…." Cici yawned.

"Oh, okay. Where's Clair?" Callie asked.

"I… dunno… she drove past me in a rush… "

"Heh. I actually scare her?" Adstrum chuckled. "I thought she was tough." He chuckled and saw Callie fold her arms. "What?"

She shook her head. "She probably had a different reason."

"You wouldn't understand…. Her reason... " Cici curled in a corner not covered in black ink.

The door opened again and Chase walked in, shaking his head after he saw the room. "Clair told Cici to come here and I came along because I was curious. Adstrum, what did you do?"

"Wrong song at the wrong time." He answered back.

"Did you throw a tantrum?" Chase smirked.

"No. Well, that could be the word for it. But no, I just needed to blow off steam. Better my own home than your restaurant or someone's face."

Chase opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't think of anything. "Huh, touche."

Cici walked to Chase and pulled on his shirt, "Maybe you can… use that ink for pasta…. Hehe…"

"What? No." He looked at her weirdly.

"Aww..." She sat back down munching away at her cookies.

"Where did that plate of cookies come from?" Callie asked. "Um, nevermind. Speaking of black ink…" Callie looked at the inside of Adstrum's jacket.

"Under… my dress…" Cici answered anyway as she rested against the wall.

Everyone looked at her with an eyebrow raised, before all looking at each other and agreeing not to question it. Callie went back to looking at Adstrum's jacket and was surprised to find it dry.

"Adstrum, Clair said you pulled that sledgehammer out of your jacket via a wall of ink on the inside of it. Why isn't it there and how did you do that?"

"Well, it's the same thing as any other weapon when we turn into squid forms. The weapon disappears in the ink. And the reason there is no wall of ink in my jacket is because I didn't want it to be there." He answered her quickly.

"How do you make it?" Callie asked curious.

"The same way the ink tank fills up." He pointed to his back. "I leak ink from my ink sac."

Callie looked confused before she remembered inkling anatomy. She reached toward her back and placed her hand on a wet spot between her shoulder blades. She looked at her hand and saw magenta ink on it. "Oh. So you leak ink out of your ink sac and it spreads through the inside of your jacket. How does none of it drip?"

"I dunno." Adstrum shrugged. "It just doesn't."

"Wait, you're wearing a shirt." She patted his back and pointed to his red t-shirt. "Does this get covered in ink, too?"

"Yep. But only on the back and that's covered by the jacket." He smiled. "The ink leaks through to the jacket and spreads."

"Zzzz…." Cici hugged the empty plate.

Chase looked down at her and smiled before picking her up bridal style and setting her down on one of the two recliners. He watched her turn into a squid and sink under the cushions.

"So…" Callie smiled and placed the jacket in Adstrum's lap. "You seem to be feeling better."

"Yep." Adstrum replied and looked at her. "Sorry if I seemed messed up. Lots of things are wrong with my mind."

"No duh." Chase muttered before an ink covered pillow was thrown at his head. He narrowly dodged it and looked at Adstrum annoyed.

"Zzz…. it burns…."

"What burns?"

"Feels like some acid dropped on me…."

"Chase looked and saw the pillow landed on the seat of the chair Cici sunk into. He picked it up and threw it across the room, shaking the black ink off his hand. "You'll be fine."

She climbed out and sat there half awake.

"Anyway, Clair told me about yesterday. Is that how you acted during an actual Splatfest?" Callie asked concerned.

"No. Sometimes I was worse. But I didn't have the sledgehammer back then. Just a Krak-on Roller. And my mouth...and fists...and feet. I was violent. Competitions change people."

"It… does?" Cici asked.

"Yeah. It does. You think those Splatfests were supposed to bring people together, but it mostly just drove them apart. I've seen groups of friends arguing over the different teams. Best friends turned on each other." Adstrum shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I once saw a couple break up over a Splatfest."

"I feel… that maybe only… certain people…do that."

"Well, then it was a lot of certain people. There were arguments and insults being flung at each team as soon as a Splatfest was announced. And the people could have been joking with what they said but there are people out there who take that stuff seriously."

"They are like that… with everything…"

"That may be true, but the Splatfests seemed to have brought out the ugly in everyone. Whether they were joking or not."

"How about we don't talk about this, okay?" Callie suddenly blurted out. "How about we all go out for ice cream or for food?" She smiled nervously.

"Hmmm?" Cici seemed suspicious.

"Sounds good to me, Jewel." Chase replied, getting at what she was trying to do. "C'mon Cici. Let's go get ice cream." He picked up the sleepy squid and headed for the door.

"Put me down…." Cici wiggled in his arms

"Let's not try to upset Adstrum again. Don't want him going apeshit on us." Chase whispered to her as he placed her down.

"...kay… I don't like to be picked up… I'll make you a straight jacket next time..." She puffed her cheeks.

"Alright, sounds good to me." Adstrum stood up and headed for the garage. "Where are we going?"

"I know a place." Callie smiled and followed him to the garage.

 **Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Alright, thank you The Bowser Monster for leaving a review again. You are great. And thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving three reviews. You are awesome.**

 **Okay, well, another chapter will be up in four or less days. I thought I had something else to say but I can't remember what it was. Oh well. I hope you all are enjoying reading this fanfic.**

 **Edit: Thank you alexander for leaving a review that unexpectedly reminded me of what I wanted to say. I got the idea for the ink sac between the shoulder blades from Kitkattattack's fanfic, "The Secret of the Inklings." It seemed like the most logical location for it. I suggest giving that fic a read because it is one of the best ones on this site.**


	32. Chapter 31: Coming to Carti Ridge

Chapter 31: Coming to Carti Ridge

Early Saturday morning Jack was at home packing a suitcase with clothing and other items when his cell phone started ringing. He picked it up and answered it, already knowing who it was. "Hey Marie. What's up?"

"Are you all set? I wanna go right away." Marie asked.

"Don't you have a job to do here? I know you want to go find Callie but...your manager." Jack replied.

"Well… yeah I guess."

"Did you even ask your manager if you could go?"

"Of course I did! He just told me to make sure to get more fans…"

"Oh, that won't be a problem for you." Jack rolled his eyes. "So he's letting you go to Carti Ridge early? Awesome!" He folded another shirt and placed it in his suitcase.

"Yes."

"Alright." Jack closed his suitcase and picked it up. "So what's the plan then? Should I come over and we go together? Or will I meet you in the city?"

"Yes. I'll call a taxi to a hotel Cecillia booked for us."

"Alright. Sounds good to me." He grabbed a few more things such as his wallet and keys. "So I'll see you in a bit…"

"See you in a bit."

He hung up and nearly ran out the door before he stopped and turned around. "Right, can't forget that." He ran up to his room and grabbed his Splattershot case. He opened it to make sure it was there and sure enough his weapon was in the case. "Alright. I'm good to go." He closed it and grabbed it before heading out the door.

* * *

About ten minutes later he drove up to Marie's apartment building in Flounder Heights and parked before getting out and walking up to the apartments. He took the elevator up to the top floor and went straight to Marie's apartment. He knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Hey come on in Jack." Marie called out.

"Okay!" He opened the door and saw Marie waiting on the couch, a few suitcases already packed. "You ready? Or do you need a few more things?"

"Yeah just waiting for our ride to the hotel"

"Alright. Where's this hotel?" Jack asked as he sat down in a chair.

"It's in Cartiridge… but I don't know anything about it… Cecilia didn't tell me about it."

"Alright. Well, let's hope she didn't screw us over."

"She is such a sweet lazy squid… Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. She doesn't like me." He stated and kicked his feet up.

"No way, she would cuddle with the tentacles on your head and sleep"

"I hope you are right. But she did sound very serious on the phone when I tried to ask her about Callie."

"She can get that way, but if you tell her to sew dolls or stuffed animals she becomes quiet. It upsets her for some reason..."

"Okay…" Jack still sounded unsure. "How does she become quiet if telling her to sew dolls makes her upset? Does she immediately stop talking if you bring it up?"

"Something about being unable to make it… that or because of someone… Yeah she goes quiet and goes into her box for hours… maybe days too..."

"Okay…" Jack laid back and twiddled his thumbs.

* * *

About half an hour passed before Marie's phone vibrated and she looked at it.

"Oh they are here, let's go Jack"

"Oh good." Jack stood up and started stomping his left foot. "I think my foot fell asleep." He stomped it a few more times and picked up his suitcase and one of Marie's. "Alright, let's go." He watched as Marie picked up the other two suitcases.

They walked to the taxi and put their stuff into the trunk. They got into the back and looked at the driver.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Okay let's see…" Marie checked her phone and told the driver the address. He put his car into drive and started heading off.

"All the way to Carti Ridge, huh?" He asked. "Quite an interesting city."

"Yes, for a concert."

"Ah, yeah. I heard that's what's going on. If I were you I would try to stick to the more business related areas of the city."

"Huh? Why?" The green Squid Sister asked.

"Because that's the more friendly area of the city." The driver took a left and got onto the highway.

"Yeah, I heard that city is kind of a dangerous place in the more rural areas." Jack nodded.

"Ah, I see…" Marie replied as she yawned

"Hey, if you ever need to call a cab in Carti Ridge try to get my pal Jim. He's a good urchin." The driver said as he drove past Urchin Underpass.

"Oh okay."

They all sat in silence for a few minutes before Jack felt Marie lean against him, her head on his shoulder. He smiled and patted her head.

"So you're going to Carti Ridge for a concert, huh?" The driver asked.

"Well, yes and no. I'm mainly going to find a friend of mine there." Jack answered.

"Oh. Visiting a friend of your's?"

"No. Looking for them. Haven't seen them in almost two years."

"Oh. Well, I wish you good luck with that." The driver said as they drove past Moray Towers.

"Thanks. I'm also going to try their turf wars." He smiled.

"Oh, word of advice. Show zero mercy. Even if you are competing against a friend. Trust me on that." The driver told him.

"Alright. Good to know." Jack placed his hands in his pockets and felt a piece of paper. "What the-?" He pulled it out and looked at it. "Oh, right. The letter. Maybe I'll find a place in Carti Ridge to send it. I forgot I had it in my jacket pocket."

* * *

After a few hours they arrived at a huge and fancy hotel. Jack shook Marie awake and told her they arrived. They both paid the driver what they owed him and got out, grabbing their stuff out of the trunk and walking up to the entrance.

"Damn… it's huge!" Marie looked up in amazement.

"Yeah. Cecillia got us a great hotel." Jack agreed and smiled.

"Yeah, she went all out…"

"I guess she did." Jack grabbed Marie's hand and pulled her toward the entrance. "Let's not just look at it. Let's go in." They walked into the front entrance and walked up to the front desk.

"Welcome to Carti Ridge's finest hotel. The Hotel Printon." The receptionist greeted them. "How may I help you today?"

"Yeah, we have a reservation. Um…" Jack looked at Marie.

"It's under Cecilia."

"Oh yes. She ordered the premium suite for you two."

"Premium?" They both asked in amazement.

"Yes, she already paid for it so you two can relax." The receptionist handed them some cards. "Here's your keycards and your room is on the 24th floor number 465."

"Thanks." Jack replied and started walking with Marie toward the elevator. He looked at her in shock. "How rich is this Cecillia friend of yours?"

"I don't know… I assumed she was poor considering she only wears a long piece of cloth around her body as…" Marie paused, "a dress? A rag dress? I mean it's like a towel tied around her chest… I don't know..."

"Really? Huh." Jack pondered for a moment as they got onto the elevator. Marie pressed the button and the elevator started heading up to floor 24. "Well, she's a tailor. A clothing designer. How much do you think a job like that pays?"

"I thought about 10,000 a year or so but then the cost of the materials to make clothes… so 8000? But you could make that in turf war… Soo much faster." Marie replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"So it must pay a lot. I mean, she did design clothes for you and Callie, right? And she is the clothing designer for Biolumin-Essence." The elevator stopped and they both got off.

"I guess but how does someone who is asleep for 24 hours 7 days a week do that? I wish I can do that…." They walked up to their door and Marie pulled out her keycard.

"Well, maybe she inherited some money from someone." Jack suggested as they walked into their room.

"That could be true… since she acts that way about making stuffed animals… I wonder if that could be the case…." Marie turned on the lights and dropped her jaw, "This is… is our room?"

"Okay, your friend is awesome!" Jack looked around in awe. "That is a big tv."

"The floor is so shiny I can see myself…" Marie pulled out her phone and called Cici, "Hello Cecilia… say how much did you pay for this?"

"...8,000,000…. Why? Do you not like it….?" Cici yawned. "I can… ask for a ...another…"

"No, no. no. This is awesome… Thank you so much. I'll see you later okay?"

"You are awesome, Cecilia!" Jack yelled from the bed.

"Okay have fun… nighty night…" She hung up.

"WHAT THE FUCK 8 MILLION?! AND SHE CAN GET ANOTHER ONE?!" Marie shouted.

"That's...impressive…" Jack said with wide eyes. "How?"

"At any rate, that's not important, we have some time before the concert we can go look around for Callie. Where should we start?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know this city." Jack shrugged. "But I know we will find her."

"I only know Cecilia… Should I ask her to show us around?"

"Sure." Jack said. "But how about we get acquainted with the room."

"Okay…" She looked around at everything.

"You think we should shower or something? We've been in a taxi for a while."

"Is this an ink bed?" She poked it, "It is… Oh you can go first since I take longer than you."

"Alright." He got up and opened his suitcase, pulling out a change of clothing and walked into the bathroom. "And remember, our driver told us to ask for Jim if we ever need a cab."

"Alright. We can deal with that after" She sat down on the bed.

About ten minutes later Jack walked out of the bathroom wearing a pair of shorts, a Mint Tee, and Red Hi Tops.

Marie fell asleep on the bed. Jack walked up and nudged her awake. "Come on. Your turn."

"These beds… are so comfortable.." She got up and grabbed her clothes and walked to the bathroom.

"Yeah, well you can sleep later. We've got a city to see and a friend to find." Jack smiled as he watched her head into the bathroom. About twenty minutes passed and Marie was still in the shower when Jack got a call on his phone. He looked at the number and saw that it was unknown, but he decided to answer it anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey, Jack. How ya been?" The voice made him almost drop his phone in shock.

"C-Callie?"

 **Author's Note: Here is the next chapter everyone. Thank you The Bowser Monster, .1, and alex for leaving reviews.**

 **So sorry about the cliffhanger. I couldn't help it. I just had to. I'll get the next chapter out soon. See ya all next time.**


	33. Chapter 32: Suspicious Cici Call

Chapter 32: Suspicious Cici Call

Earlier that day Callie was at Biolumin-Essence trying on different outfits for a photo shoot. She had just finished posing in the fourth outfit for today and was walking back from her dressing room in the fifth. She was wearing overalls and a red t shirt. "Man, how many outfits did Cici make this time?"

While she was doing the photoshoots, Cici, Adstrum, and Annabelle were in the main lobby. Anna was sitting at the front desk while Adstrum was walking around from boredom. Cici was sleep walking around.

"Ugh...I am bored…" Adstrum said aloud as he walked past the front desk again.

"I'm gonna… get cookies...zzz" Cici started walking to the entrance.

"Have fun, Cici." Adstrum waved.

"Stay safe!" Annabelle waved.

As they watched the green inkling walk out the doors Adstrum turned to Anna. "You ever have fun doing your job?"

"No… not really…" Annabelle smiled, "Normally watching Cici is interesting enough"

"Yeah. She does do weird things in her sleep." He nodded. He looked out the window again and saw someone who immediately ticked him off. "Say, has Anita been bugging you at all?"

"I usually hide so no"

"Okay." He looked at the door and saw Anita walk in. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him and immediately started walking toward the elevator. "Guess she knows to stay away.

Cici walked back with a coffee cup on her head and a plate of cookies in her hands. "Hmm… I'm sticky now… but now my cookies are coffee flavored… Thanks mean lady!"

"Who? Clair?" Adstrum asked.

"No, Boss lady is upstairs… and she like tea..."

"So Anita…"

"It's okay…. I make sure her clothes make her look fatter… next time..."

Adstrum raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I'm still going to hurt her."

"No it's okay…" Cici hugged his leg, "Let's not… go to her level…"

"Being cute will not stop me, sleepy." Adstrum smiled. "And I'm not going to her level. I'm going past it."

"...But I have coffee flavored cookies now…"

"Then enjoy them already." He grabbed her and made her sit down in a chair behind the front desk.

"...Oh…"

* * *

Meanwhile Callie was finishing up posing in the seventh outfit, a kimono, and was walking out of the studio when she nearly bumped into the bitchy squid. Anita had a look of anger on her face, but seemed to flinch away from Callie.

"Oh boy…" Clair rolled her eyes, "Lucky me…."

"What do you want?" Callie folded her arms.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for work…" Anita put her hand on her hip.

"Well, then go get ready for it. I'm almost done with my photo shoots." Callie replied.

"I'm gonna go get some blindfolds for everyone" Clair stood up.

"Oh shut up, bitch.."

Callie watched Anita walk away and turned to Clair. "She seemed less snarky than usual. But she hasn't really said anything to us for a while."

"Well she lost her bark since Adstrum shut her up… It's nicer if you ask me."

Callie nodded and walked out into the hall down to her dressing room to put on the final outfit.

* * *

Back with the other three Cici was wiggling in Adstrum's arms as he splashed her with water from the water fountain.

"No… it's… zzz cold..." She whined.

"Well, you're covered in coffee and are sticky." He replied and splashed her again. "There, all done." He placed her on the ground.

She blinked and squeezed the water out of her dress, "I'm all soaked now"

"I'm sorry, but you should have gone and washed yourself up when I asked. I didn't want you touching me when you were covered in coffee." Adstrum replied and handed her some tissues.

She hugged him anyways, "...Revenge…"

"At least you're not covered in coffee."

"Squishy…" She seemed to be asleep again.

Adstrum rolled his eyes and picked her up bridal style before placing her in a chair behind the front desk again. "She's clean. Won't dirty and stickify your desk anymore." He said to Annabelle.

"Hehe all is good" Annabelle smiled.

At that point a ringing was heard coming from Cici. She pulled out an old fashion brick cellphone.

"Hello Cecilia… say how much did you pay for this?" The voice from the phone asked.

"...8,000,000…. Why? Do you not like it….?" Cici yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I can… ask for a ...another…"

"No, no. no. This is awesome… Thank you so much. I'll see you later okay?"

"You are awesome, Cecilia!" Another voice shouted from the other line.

"Okay have fun… nighty night…" She hung up and fell asleep again.

"Who was that?" Adstrum asked, an eyebrow raised. He didn't get a response. "I'll ask when she wakes up."

"Um when?" Annabelle asked, "I seen her sleep for weeks, actually I never seen her awake…"

"I'll pinch her side in a bit." He smirked. "That always wakes her up."

"...mercy…" Cici snored

"That is mercy. I'll only do it once." He smiled.

"...No. I'll bite you...zzz"

"I'll bite back." Adstrum replied back.

Cici quickly ran away. Adstrum got up and ran after her. Annabelle smiled as she watched they run off.

"Yay! Something to do!" He yelled as he bolted after her.

"...no… I don't wanna… a pinch… zzz.." She ran up the stairs.

* * *

Callie was in her dressing room switching out of the final outfit, a red vest, and back into a pair of jeans and a magenta t-shirt. Clair was in there with her. "Man, Cici made a lot of clothing for today, didn't she?"

The door to Callie's dressing room suddenly opened and Cici ran inside.

"No…." Cici turned into a squid and swam up Clair's head, "...Mister is being mean to me….

Adstrum was about to run in when he stopped. "Are you decent in there?"

"Yeah, I'm dressed." Callie replied.

"Cici, get off!" Clair tried to pull her off.

"Who were you talking to, Cici?" Adstrum asked as he walked in.

"My old... friend…" Cici muttered, "...No pinching…. Zzzz..."

"Old friend?" Callie asked. "Who?"

"Uh huh… Zzz…" Cici fell asleep again.

"Wake up and answer or I pinch you."

"No… no pinching… I'll bite you..." She slurred.

"Then answer." Adstrum replied. "I recognized one of the voices on that phone, but who was the one in the background?

"But I don't wanna tell you…" She slid down Clair, turned back into her humanoid form, and looked at Adstrum.

"I heard Marie's voice on the phone. Am I right?" He raised an eyebrow. He saw Callie's eyes widen.

"She is actually awake?" Clair poked her cheek.

"Huh, this is the second time she's truly awake. Get a camera, this is a rare and valuable sight to behold." Adstrum chuckled and looked at Cici.

"..." Cici rubbed her arm, "That's not nice."

"Sorry. I'm an ass." He told her and patted her shoulder. "Sorry, buddy."

"Cici…." Callie looked at her. "What did Marie call you about?"

"She was thanking me for the hotel room… So she came here earlier than I thought. Mister hero is there too. I'm glad he likes the room…"

Callie slumped back in her seat, her eyes wide. "Marie's here in Carti Ridge? Already? Her manager let her come early?"

"I think that first concert brought them here… Mister Hero was so confident that you were here…"

"Mister Hero? Jack?" Callie asked. "Oh, I shouldn't be surprised that he came along. Him I would like to see again, but I really don't want to see Marie."

"I wonder if they came early to come look for you…"

"That's gotta be the reason." Adstrum said and walked over to Callie. "But we'll make sure Marie doesn't find you, okay?"

"No…" Callie replied. "I think it's unavoidable now." She shook her head. "But I have an idea."

"Hmm?" Cici tilted her head.

"I will run into Marie at some point, but I want to prolong that. She likely won't leave Carti Ridge until she finds me. Even after the concert comes and goes."

"But she's gonna come visit me… I don't know when." Cici replied

"Well, you should stall her then. Keep her from finding me. At least until the day of the concert." Callie told her.

"Um, how?"

"This is you we're talking about, Cici. Fall asleep on her. Nap at the wrong moments. Take her on tours that lead to weird places."

"... but she'll try to pinch me..."

"Does she even know that trick?" Adstrum asked. "Callie didn't seem to know it."

"Because she actually lets me sleep"

"I'm sorry, Cici. But please." Callie looked at her with hope. "Just play dumb or something when she asks about me."

"Oh… well that was the plan… but mister hero is there..."

Clair poked Cici's cheeks again. Cici looked up at Clair.

"So cute…" Clair knelt down, "She's like a little girl"

"Huh?" Cici looked puzzled.

"I agree." Adstrum nodded. "You seem to like her more when she isn't sleeping on your head."

"Don't stare at me…" She blushed and hid in Callie's clothes' bin. It tipped over.

"... That is adorable…" Clair smiled, "She acts so cute too."

"I'll take care of Jack right now." Callie pulled out her phone. She had dialed his number and was about to call when she stopped. "I hope he understands." She pressed the call button and waited for the ringing to stop.

"Hello?" A male voice said from the other side of the line.

"Hey Jack. How ya been?" She nervously said.

"C-Callie?"

 **Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Thank you The Bowser Monster for leaving a review. Now I have got some good news and some bad news, everyone.**

 **The good news is that I think I am starting my first job soon. However the bad news is that means the updates might become slower. BUT, I will try and write whenever I can. So I will try to make the four day deadline, but if I don't have a new chapter out in four days then be patient. I will not leave this fic unfinished. Thanks for reading, everyone! I'll see you next update! Sorry about the cliffhanger.**


	34. Chapter 33: Meeting Up

Chapter 33: Meeting Up

Jack sat there shocked and confused at hearing the ex-squid sister's voice over the phone. "C-C-Callie? I-is th-that you? I h-haven't heard f-from you i-in so long."

"Woah, Jack. Calm down." Callie giggled. "You haven't stuttered that much since you found out me and Marie were Agents 1 and 2. How have you been?"

"Heh, sorry. I just haven't heard from you in a long time. I was worried. Are you okay?" He looked concerned.

"I'm fine, Jack. Don't worry. How's Inkopolis doing? Anything fresh going on there?" She smiled.

"Inkopolis is great. I'm sorry to say that Inkopolis Plaza is no longer the freshest location. Inkopolis Square is now. But the city is doing great." He stood up and walked toward the glass door to the hotel room's balcony.

"Oh, the Plaza is no longer fresh? Dang. Well, I hope the shopkeepers got new locations to work. How about you? Kicking ass in turf wars and keeping the octarians away?" She leaned back in her seat.

"Yeah. Still the best player in Inkopolis. And I've been keeping my eyes on the octarians. They haven't really been up to much." He opened the door and walked out onto the balcony, looking at as much of Carti Ridge as he could.

"That's good. Glad to hear that. Does Marie still call you Agent 3?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Well, she's recently started calling me by my actual name, but no. Doesn't call me that anymore." He laughed.

"Oh, I should have asked this first. Speaking of Marie…" She looked nervous. "Is she with you, by any chance?"

"Yeah, but she's in the shower. We could wait for her to get out if you want to talk to her." He walked back inside and shut the door.

"NO!" Callie yelled, startling everyone in her dressing room. "No, don't. I don't want to talk to her."

"What? But she's your cousin. Why don't you want to talk to her?" Jack asked confused.

"I just...don't. Okay. I have my reasons. So she's in the shower? That should take a while. Well, I heard you two were in Carti Ridge. What are you doing here? I knew Marie was coming to perform at a concert, but she showed up a week early. Why are you guys here?" She knew the answer, but just wanted to make sure.

"We came here to look for you." He stated and started pacing the room. "Why don't you tell me where you are and we can come find you. It would be wonderful to see you again."

"Well, that's sweet, but I don't want to see Marie. Again, for reasons." She had an emotionless look on her face before it went back to a wide smile. "But I would be more than happy to see you, Jack. We should meet up somewhere and catch up. Did you and Marie have plans today or did you just plan to look for me?"

"Um, the latter." He replied.

"I thought so. Well, maybe you and I can meet up today. You ever hear of...um…" She covered up the voice receiver on her phone and looked at Adstrum. "I can't believe I never thought of it, but what's the name of the restaurant Chase works at? I never got the name of it."

"Chase owns it." Adstrum shrugged. "It's called Chase's."

"Huh. Simple enough." Callie uncovered the receiver. "You want to meet up at a restaurant called Chase's?"

"Sure! That sounds great!" Jack answered with a smile on his face.

"Alright. Let's meet there at...7:00 PM. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright. I'll see you there. But don't let Marie know you talked to me. And don't bring her with you. Please." She said, sounding a bit scared.

"Um, okay. I promise." He told her.

"Thanks!" Callie smiled widely. "I'll see you there, Jack."

"Alright. See you there." He heard her hang up after that.

"You really think this is a good idea, Callie?" Adstrum asked her.

"She fucking lost it…" Clair pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It'll be fine, guys." Callie told them. "Just...trust me, okay?"

"All right…" Adstrum sounded unsure.

"That doesn't sound very reassuring…" Cici muttered from under a pile of clothes.

"However, I do want you guys to come along just in case Marie does come with him. She can be stubborn. But I'm sure Jack can convince her to stay behind or do something else." Callie smiled again.

"Alright, I'll call Chase and tell him to have a table ready." Adstrum said and pulled out his phone.

"Can I stay home?" Cici poked her head out of the pile. There was a pair of shorts on her head.

"Yes you can, Cici." Callie smiled. "Technically we are in your home. You seem to live at work."

"Yay more time to sleep!" Cici happily ran around, but slipped on a shirt. She face planted onto the floor.

"You seem too active to sleep, Cici." Adstrum's eyes widened. "That is a sentence I thought I would never say."

Cici started softly snoring on the floor.

"...HOW?!..." Clair threw her arms into the air.

Jack sat down on the bed and tears started streaming down his face. "She called...I'm so glad to hear from her again." He heard the bathroom door open and quickly wiped his tears away. "Hey Marie. You have a nice shower?" He looked to see a towel wrapped around her and one on top of her head.

"Yeah I really like the smell of the soap" Marie smiled.

"Yeah, it does smell good. Um, you need me to turn around while you dress?" He asked blushing.

"It's okay. I just forgot to take something into the bathroom. How could I leave without a shirt?" She grabbed her shirt and returned into the bathroom.

"Oh, good." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Um, so I thought we could split up to search the city! That way we could look for Callie faster."

"But we don't know anything about this town…" She replied from inside, "What if I get lost all by myself?"

"Well, our taxi driver said to ask for a taxi driver named Jim." He said. "We'll get a ride from him. He can drop me off somewhere and you stay with him. You could learn something from him about the city."

"Hmm… why?"

"I just think we would find Callie quicker if we split up." Jack shrugged.

"Okay… Wait, maybe Cecilia can show me around."

"There's an idea." He gave her a thumbs up.

"Great I'll give her a call!" Marie smiled and pulled out her phone. "... Hello Cecilia, I have a favor..."

* * *

A half hour later Jack was standing outside on his phone. He got the number for the taxi service and was telling them his address and that he wanted the driver Jim. He nodded and smiled. "Thank you." He hung up and walked over to Marie, who was sitting on a bench. "So Cecilia is coming to get you any second now."

A small inkling wearing a white cloth around her body walked past him. Her eyes seemed to be closed.

"Zzzz….why...me…?" The green inkling muttered.

"Is that Cecilia, Marie? She looks like how you described her." Jack leaned toward her.

"Oh, she still looks like a hobo…" Marie sounded surprised.

"...Meanie…" Cici half opened her eyes, "...It's been a while… Marie…" She made a small smile before her face drooped back to being tired.

"The cleanest hobo I've ever seen. And also the cutest. Aw…" He smiled and held his hand out to Cici. "Nice to meet you, Cecilia."

"You're rude… mister…" She gently swatted his hand away. She had a slight sense of guilt on her face for a second.

"Jeez, can't we let stuff stay in the past? Come on. Thank you for the room and sorry for being rude on the phone." He said to her.

"...I'm glad you like it…" She replied as monotone as possible, "Don't worry... I'll show you around… Marie..."

"Oh, no. I'm waiting for a cab. Marie needs an escort, though. And why not take this time to catch up with her?" He suggested.

"This is how friends work, yes?" She replied coldly.

"Well let's go Cecilia" Marie pulled her away, "Bye Jack"

"Bye, Marie." Jack replied before he heard a honk and noticed a cab had pulled up. He walked up to it and looked at the middle-aged urchin in the driver seat. "Are you Jim?"

"Yep. Where do you need a ride to?" Jim asked with a smile.

"I need a ride to a restaurant called Chase's. I'm meeting a friend there." He said as he stepped into the taxi.

"Alright. Sounds good. But be careful around there. That place is kind of on the edge of the violent area of the city." Jim said as he started driving off.

"I'll take my chances." Jack said and folded his arms.

* * *

About ten minutes later Jim pulled up to the restaurant, which looked busy today. There were many cars in the parking lot. Jack got out and paid Jim what he owed him. "Thanks Jim. I'll make sure to call for you again."

"Alright. Sounds good. See ya." He replied as he drove away.

Jack walked up to the restaurant and walked in, seeing a tall blue tentacled waitress standing near the door.

"Hey. Welcome into Chase's. I'm June, your waitress. How can I help you today, sir?"

"Nice to meet you, June. Um, I'm here looking for a friend." He smiled up at her.

"Cool, feel free to look around for them." She smiled. "Just don't bother any of the customers, okay?"

"Deal." He smiled and started walking through the restaurant. When he got near the back he felt someone tug on his shirt. He looked and saw a familiar smiling face looking at him.

"Hey Jack. Long time, no see." Callie smiled widely before standing up and giving him a hug.

Jack hugged her back, a few tears welling up. "I missed you, Callie."

"This is him?" Clair muttered to herself, "Why does Cici call him "Mister Hero"? He looks like a shrimp…."

"A nickname perhaps?" Adstrum shrugged. "And don't let appearances fool you. I've met some tough inklings that looked skinnier than a board."

"Sorry, when she asked me to draw a hero, she said make them like in the comics so I thought…"

"Um, who are these guys?" Jack asked noticing a purple tentacles inkling and an inkling wearing a hooded heavy jacket, and the hood was up.

"Bodyguards in case you do something stupid." Clair smiled.

"Heh. I had them here in case Marie came with you so they could distract her while I left... I really don't want to see her." Callie sighed. "But, I'm glad to see you, Jack. These are my friends Clair and Adstrum." She gestured to the inklings.

"Pleasure to meet you." Clair held out her hand.

"What's up?" Adstrum lifted his hand and waved.

"Nice to meet you too." He took Clair's hand and shook it.

"Sit down, Jack. Let's catch up." Callie said as she sat next to Adstrum and gestured to the seat in front of her.

"Okay." He sat down next to Clair, just as June came up.

"Want anything to eat or drink?" June asked

"I'll have a Strawberry Printa." Callie told the tall waitress. "And a Catfish Burger. No lettuce or tomatoes. Just pickles and cheese." She smiled.

"Okey dokey, and you?"

"I'm good, but I'll take some cookies to go" Clair replied

"You don't want a drink, Clair? We might be here awhile." Callie said.

"Oh... in that case, some taro milk tea please."

"Lemon Tea is better." Callie smirked. She heard Jack stifle a laugh but heard Adstrum groan in anger.

"I love them both, but I'm feeling more like cream today." She stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Great." June turned to Jack.

"I'll have...um…" Jack took a look at his menu. "Give me a second."

"Kay-kay."

"I'll take the usual, June." Adstrum gave her a thumbs up.

"Hello Addy, you got it." She smiled.

"Okay, I'm ready." Jack said. "I'll have a steak. Medium cooked. And a lemonade." He smiled up at the waitress.

"Okay great it will be out in a bit" She walked to the kitchen.

"So, Callie. What have you been doing for the past almost two years?" Jack asked.

"Well, I started off trying to get some gigs on my own. I couldn't get any because everyone wanted both Squid Sisters. Not just one. I spent a few months going from job to job until I found out that Biolumin-Essence was looking for a new model. I decided what did I have to lose. Well, here I am now as a model for a fashion company." She smiled and shrugged.

"That's interesting." Jack smiled. "Glad you found a job you seem to like."

"Well, it's better than being a janitor or working at a fast food joint or something. But I am happy with the friends I've made." Callie looked at Clair and smiled.

"Hehe I'm glad we aren't a pain to you" Clair smiled back

"Of course not. You were the first person I met there. I'm glad you put up with me." Callie laughed.

"We met long before that, but that's a story for another time."

"Oh, yeah. And you weren't the first familiar face. I was surprised to find Cici there as well."

"She had the nerve to tell me to play nice… That sleepy idiot…"

"Cici is a sleepy idiot? Is her real name Cecilia by any chance?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, Sergeant Sleeps-a-lot's real name is Cecilia. We call her Cici for short." Adstrum answered.

"Idiot can't even pronounce that"

"I think she's too lazy to say her name." Adstrum shrugged at Clair.

She shrugged back.

"Well, how did you meet this guy?" Jack pointed at Adstrum.

"Oh, I met him here at this restaurant. It was a weird meeting. I met him again a second time here as well, stuff happened…" Callie shrugged.

"We got into some sort of fight." Clair pointed out

"You confronted me about scaring your sister in a turf war." Adstrum rolled his eyes.

"I did, then some weirdo came and wrecked my windshield."

"That guy was stubborn. Not the first person I beat in a turf war that came after me afterward." Adstrum chuckled. "Stubborn moron."

"Whatever you say Adstrum."

"Yeah, that was exciting." Callie nervously laughed. "Well, after that he actaully showed up at my work. Apparently Cici invited him and his buddy Chase to come see the place."

"That was an interesting day." Adstrum nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you came that day. You and I talked for a moment. That was fun." Callie smiled at Adstrum.

"I never want Chase to go there ever again." Clair looked at said Inkling behind the bar.

"Ha! That's right, you slapped him. Heheheheh!" Adstrum laughed and shook his head.

"Humph, he deserved it. I told him politely before I don't like being hit on."

"Well, he's stubborn." Adstrum shrugged.

"Idiot…" Clair rolled her eyes at Chase, who winked at her from behind the bar. She flipped him the bird, to which he just smirked.

"Really stubborn." Adstrum shook his head. "You can go beat him on a day when it's not so busy here."

"So...you and him talked? About what?" Jack asked.

"Well, he found out who I was and said he would keep it secret. He told me some stuff about himself." Callie shrugged. "Just a conversation about stuff." Realization hit her face. "Oh, before I forget…" She turned to Adstrum. "Thanks for putting Madame Bitch in her place. She hasn't really been bugging us anymore."

"It's amazing, but she still does things when you aren't around. But none of it seems to bother Cici."

"She's not bugging us as much as she did before, though." Callie pointed out.

"It doesn't really bother Cici because she said she would get back at her by making her look fat in the clothing she's going to make." Adstrum smirked.

"It's fucking hilarious. Once she made a sumo wrestler's costume for her."

"HA!" Callie smiled widely. "I remember that. Anita deserved that."

June came back with everyone's orders. "This is for you and you and you and you."

"Thanks June." Adstrum grabbed his splatter of chicken tenders and a glass of root beer.

"Thanks." Jack took his steak and lemonade.

"Thanks I'll give these to Cici later." Clair took the box of cookies. "And I'll have that." She grabbed her glass of Milk Tea.

"Thank you very much." Callie took her burger and Strawberry Printa.

June smiled and walked away. Everyone started eating.

"Anyways what about you?" Clair looked at Jack, "You been quiet most of the time so far."

"Oh, um, well you all seemed to be talking about stuff that happened between you guys. I didn't want to interrupt." He shrugged. "I'm just curious what Callie's been up to."

"I've just been modeling clothes and making friends." She smiled. "And have been performing at a cafe." She whispered.

Callie's phone vibrated, there was a text message from Cici asking where she was. She texted her back and put her phone away.

"That's cool. You play in any turf wars here?" Jack asked.

"No...Not yet. Not sure if I want to actually." Callie looked concerned. "These turf wars aren't the same as back in Inkopolis."

"Carti Ridge Turf Wars are more violent and fun." Adstrum smiled.

"Really? I was actually going to participate to see what they are like." Jack smiled.

"Word of advice. Don't be a noob. And don't take chances. Splat any enemy you come across. And if a teammate gets in your way just punch them out of the way." Adstrum gave him a thumbs up.

"You're allowed to punch teammates?" Jack looked shocked. "That doesn't seem right…"

"Neither do weapons with barbed wire on them or Dualies that fire frozen ink spikes." Adstrum looked over at Clair. "Nice idea, by the way."

"Cici gave them to me." Clair sighed. "It was her knitting needle dispenser..."

"Oh, really? Smart." Adstrum nodded. "Could be the next weapon idea."

"Um that's why Cici told me not to use them in turf war."

"How are people allowed to use weapons like that? Who runs the turf wars in this city?" Jack asked confused.

"He is the owner of the turf wars in this city." Callie pointed to Adstrum.

"And the only rule is that as long as ink is on the weapon then it's allowed. No other rule than that. Go nuts."

"What if it was frozen?"

"Still counts. As long as ink is what splats the person then they will still respawn. Maybe with a cut or bruise, but nothing major." Adstrum smiled.

"Pretty sure you can kill a guy with frozen ink…"

"If you can, then I've yet to see it." He shrugged.

"Well, I'll still participate for a bit." Jack said. "I'll be fine."

"You sure, Jack?" Callie asked.

"I'm sure. But I've been curious, Callie. Why don't you want to see Marie?" He asked.

"I...She…" Callie looked away. "Because...She...I don't wanna talk about it here…" She rubbed her arm. "Let's meet up again here when it's not so busy. How about Monday?"

"Alright. Sounds good." Jack said. They had all finished eating when Chase walked up to them.

"You guys enjoy your meals?" He asked them.

"Yeah. Thank you, Chase." Callie smiled at him.

"You're welcome, Jewel."

A familiar green squid climbed up on Chase's head.

"Cici? What are you doing here?" Adstrum asked.

"Sleeping...Zzz…" Cici muttered back.

"She just showed up." Chase shrugged.

"Um, Cici. 'You know who' didn't show up, did they?" Callie asked scared.

"... Who?... Annabelle?...ZZzzz..."

"No...you know who I'm talking about." Callie whispered.

"Your cousin?..."

Callie nodded and looked scared.

"She's...okay...Zzz…"

"Is she here?" Adstrum asked through clenched fangs.

"Zzz…. Went back…. to hotel...Zzzz" Cici nuzzled Chase's tentacle

"Oh, good." Callie sounded relieved.

"What are you guys talking about?" Chase asked.

"None of your business, buddy." Adstrum answered.

"Get lost." Clair growled at Chase.

"Well, I need someone to pay up." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I got it." Adstrum pulled out a card and handed it to Chase, who swiped it on a reader and handed it back to him.

Cici snored away on his head.

"Alright. Well, hope you all have a good night." He smiled before looking at Clair. "And chill out, I'm not going to hit on you…"

"Good. I'm glad we-"

"Not this time." He smirked.

Clair's tentacles started to bubble.

"Chase, go away." Adstrum facepalmed.

"I'm kidding. I'm not going to." He chuckled and walked away.

"So, I'll see you in two days, Jack?" Callie asked.

"Yeah. See you... Jewel." He winked and gave her a thumbs up.

"Why is… Mr. Hero calling her that?..." Cici muttered

"Because that's her name." Chase answered her.

"No it's not…"

Before Chase could ask more Adstrum came up and grabbed her, covering her beak with his hand. He brought her up to his mouth and whispered. "Keep your beak shut and you can have the cookies Clair bought for you."

"I...like.. Cookies…" She yawned as her half opened eyes looked at Adstrum.

"Good, now be quiet." He placed her on Callie's head.

"Alright. See you, Jack." Callie smiled and walked toward the door.

"See you, Jewel." He waved as he watched her leave. "I'm so glad to see you again."

"Idiot! No cookies for you." Clair grabbed Cici and shook her once they were outside.

"But he… promised…." Cici muttered in her hands.

"Clair, give her the cookies!" Adstrum yelled.

She sighed and handed her the box.

"Yay cookies..." Cici happily munched on them as she followed her friends.

 **Author's Note: And here is the next chapter guys. Did not realize how long it was. Thank you The Bowser Monster, jdaly1, alex, and ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving reviews. I greatly appreciate them.**

 **I agree, alex. There should be a motion sensor bomb that sticks to walls. Or at least the C4 from Black Ops 3 that lets you know when someone walks by it so you can set it off yourself.**

 **Alright. Well, update on the job and other things in life. I might have to start updating once a week instead of every four days because of two reasons. One, the job. But it doesn't get that much in the way. However, the second and main reason why I can't work on the fic that much anymore is because my stepmother has a stupid rule where the wifi gets turned off at 11:00 PM. So I can't really work on the fic without wifi to access google docs. However she sometimes forgets to unplug the wifi at night, and those are the nights where I am most happy. Sorry, got into a rant.**

 **Anyway, hope you all loved the chapter. I'll try to be back with a new chapter in four days. See you all next time.**


	35. Chapter 34: Not Alone

Chapter 34: Not Alone

After the restaurant visit Clair went back to Biolumin-Essence to pick up Annabelle while Adstrum and Callie left for home. Callie asked Adstrum if she could stay the night and he said it was okay. They stopped by her apartment so she could grab some things and then they left for his house.

"So, why did you want to stay the night?" Adstrum asked as he pulled into his garage.

"Well…" Callie hopped out of the Outrunner. "I kind of want to stay with someone I trust right now."

"So why me and not Clair?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Because Clair is taking Anna out tonight." She replied as she walked toward the door.

"Oh. okay." Adstrum followed behind her. He walked toward the couch and sat down while Callie went upstairs. "Make yourself at home."

"Thanks." She replied as she went into the guest bedroom. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." He replied to her.

She took her clothes and walked into the bathroom. She started getting ready for bed. She came out wearing lacy short shorts and a tank top. She walked downstairs to find Adstrum playing video games on the couch. She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Uh, hi." He looked down at her and saw a look of fear. "You okay?" He felt her wrap her tentacles around him as well, hugging him tighter. "Callie, what's wrong?"

"She's here… I'm doomed." She muttered from his side.

Adstrum pulled his arms out of her hug and patted her back. "Don't worry. I'll help you watch out for her."

"But we can run into her anywhere now."

"That's okay. You hid from her as a fashion model for almost two years now. Probably would have been longer if you decided not to go back to performing. I'm sure you can stay hidden from her for a bit longer." He hugged her back and felt her tighten her tentacles around him.

"If she saw me and recognized me…. What do I do?"

"I don't know. If she tries to talk to you say whatever you want. Confront her. Or run away? Um…" Adstrum sounded unsure.

"Last time I did that we ended up fighting… Sure it was turf war, but we still clawed at each other…"

"Isn't that how a lot of people in Inkopolis settle arguments?"

"But it's here… In Carti Ridge… Don't you guys send each other to the hospital?"

"No. Here in Carti Ridge most arguments are settled almost immediately. We don't use a competition or turf war to determine who is right. We either talk it out or throw actual fists."

"We just fight that way so nobody gets hurt"

"Well, maybe next time you see her you two can talk it out. And if she doesn't listen then make her listen." Adstrum shrugged. "I guess."

"It always turns to Turf wars with her… I don't want to actually hurt her..."

"Don't worry about it, Callie." He smiled. "How much as she hurt you? You said that she would constantly make fun of you. What did you think it was? Playful teasing? Or bullying?"

"I can't lay a finger on her… Her charger usually take me out before I can do anything…"

"You've never tried getting under her skin, have you?" He looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Of course not! I love my cousin… but-" She softly pressed her face against him.

"You still do?" He sounded confused. "Even after she hurt you after the final Splatfest?"

"I can't bring myself to fully hate her… We are still family…"

"Huh…Well, why don't you guys talk it out when you see each other again at the concert later this week? You said you wanted to perform at the concert, right? Well, you and her can probably talk after that." He suggested.

"Right… I hope so." She seemed unsure as she nibbled on her thumb

"Hey." He took her hand and looked her in the eyes. "I'll be there to make sure she doesn't hurt you. Okay?" He smiled warmly at her.

Callie turned to look at him. She blushed a bit as she looked into his eyes. She smiled brightly and leaned towards him.

Adstrum blushed as she leaned closer.

The world seemed to slow down for this one moment. Their hearts seem to be beating more rapidly. Callie got closer to Adstrum. He turned different shades of red as Callie's lips got closer to him. He tried to move, but realised Callie's tentacles held him tightly. His mind raced trying to figure out how to react. He moved slightly towards her. He squeezed his eyes shut.

She pecked him on his cheek. "Thank you."

"You're, uh...You're welcome." He was still red and was now confused.

She smiled warmly at him and rested her head against him.

"Um, do you mind loosening your tentacles? Getting a bit tight." He smiled nervously at her.

"Oh! Sorry." She pulled them to her lap and started straightening them.

"That's okay." He took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Man, your tentacles are strong. Are all girl inklings' tentacles like that?"

"Um yeah, but yours should be too."

"Well, us guys usually have our tentacles tied up while you gals don't. You still get to use them to grab stuff. And while I don't tie my tentacles up they are covered up by my hoodie." He took his jacket off and his tentacles hung at the sides of his head. "And they're smaller in comparison."

"Hehe." She reached up with one tentacle and grabbed hold of one of his with it.

"Oh…Heh. That's one use for them." He smiled and blushed.

She nuzzled into his side smiling warmly at him.

He smiled and laid his head on her head.

* * *

Callie opened her eyes to find the TV screen playing a video game. She blinked and yawned due to having fell asleep an hour ago. She looked up at Adstrum to see him playing the game.

"Isn't it late, Adstrum?" Callie looked up at him.

"Huh? He looked down at her. "I guess. You look tired. Why don't you go upstairs and sleep?"

"If I do you are going up to your bed too."

"But I'm not tired." He let out a small yawn and looked back at the screen.

"Liar… You just yawned"

"I hate sleep." He replied. He blinked a few times.

"I'm not going anywhere until you go to bed" She hugged his side.

"Oh, come on Callie." He looked down at her golden eyes.

"Nope." She looked up at him with puppy eyes, "You need sleep. Please?"

"Oh, alright." He saved the game and turned it off. "I'm going."

"Yay!" She hugged him and followed him upstairs.

He walked into the bathroom and brushed his fangs before heading into his room. "Good night, Callie."

"Night." She smiled and headed to bed.

* * *

Callie woke up to a sound in the night. She sat up and looked around. It wasn't coming from her room. She got out of bed and slowly opened her door to the hallway. She heard it coming from Adstrum's room. She approached the door and opened it slowly. She saw him flinching in his sleep and tears rolling down his face.

"Adstrum?" Callie asked.

"Why am I here?" He muttered out. "I thought these were over…"

She gently touched his side, "Are you okay?"

He flinched. "Callie...where are you? Why am I in Inkopolis? Why is there a Splatfest?" He clutched his head and let out a scream. In his dream he was standing in the middle of Inkopolis Plaza while a Splatfest was going on. He could see Marie sitting on top of her truck but the other truck had no one on it. And Callie's solo song, Bomb Rush Blush, was playing.

"Adstrum! I'm right here!" She shook him.

"Where?" He shook his head. "I hear you singing, but why aren't you on the stage?"

"Adstrum, open your eyes! I'm standing next to you." She said to him.

He turned to his left and saw her standing next to him, holding a microphone. He blinked and looked at her. In the real world he stopped flinching and eased up.

Callie saw him relax a bit, "Like I told you I would be…"

He smiled and walked closer to her. "Why aren't you on the stage? Why is there a Splatfest going on? I thought those were done."

"This is just… a celebration… it's… a birthday. Mine… So I get to walk around..." She lied.

"Oh...well, happy birthday." He said to her.

"Thank you."

"Why are we back in Inkopolis, though?" He looked around. "I'm so confused."

"Um Marie insisted?"

"Now that's an obvious lie. You said you didn't want to see her. Why are we here?" He asked before he felt her put a tentacle up to his mouth.

"I just… I want to you to not resent this place… Yes it was bad… but I'm sure there was some happy moments right?"

"Yeah. I made some good friends, had fun…" He suddenly pulled her into a hug, both in the dream world and in real life. "And you. You are the reason I stayed here. Your smile made my day every time I saw it on the news. I was planning to move back here just because of you, but then I heard you went missing. That you left." He had tears rolling down his face again. "I'm so happy to have found you."

"I just wanted a break from Marie's bullying… I wasn't hurt….physically. I'm happy I met you in person. Too bad I couldn't show you your older letters."

"I know what I wrote in those." He said. "I'm glad you got those."

She gave him another peck on the cheek, "Enjoy the party okay? Let's have fun together"

He nodded and let go of her. He followed her as she walked away. In real life he was sleeping with a smile on his face.

Callie seemed relieved and she pulled the covers back over him. She realized how tired she was and fell asleep on a chair next to his bedside.

 **Author's Note: And here's the next chapter. Thank you The Bowser Monster, ThePizzaLovingTurtle, and jdaly1 for leaving reviews. I greatly appreciate them. Also, Apikachua says hello and thanks you all for more than 50 reviews.**

 **Sorry if this chapter seems rushed. I actually did rush it to meet the deadline. Work and family are not making writing this fic easy. And the motivation shows up at the worst times. Anyway, I'll see you with another chapter in hopefully four days. If not, then I'm running late. See ya next time, everyone.**


	36. Chapter 35: Marie's Choice

Chapter 35: Marie's Choice

Jack waved goodbye to Jim as he walked up to the hotel's front door. He immediately went toward the elevator and pressed the button up to the 24th floor.

"So...I meet up with Callie again in two days. Same location." He said to himself as the elevator stopped. He walked out and immediately went up to his and Marie's room. He opened the door and found Marie sitting on the bed. "Hey Marie. How was your time with Cecilia?"

"She slept under my hat the whole time… but she showed me around the city" Marie replied and looked over at him.

"That sounds cute. She actually came by the restaurant I went to. She swam up on top of...I think the owner's head." He shrugged and jumped onto the other bed.

"She does that to everyone. Even strangers... unless she hates them."

"Oh. Well, she seemed to know him." He sat up and turned to Marie.

"She's a bit of a child… A very sleepy child. She loves sweeties and hates veggies." Marie pointed out.

"She is." Jack nodded. "And who doesn't like sweets?"

"Right? Anyways did you find anything?"

"Um, no…" He looked away. "I...found nothing."

"Oh neither did I." She looked down at her feet.

"I did meet the owner of this city's Turf Wars, though." He pointed out.

"Oh really? That's nice." She sighed.

Jack bit his bottom lip and pondered for a moment. "Marie, I promise that you'll see her again. We'll find her. But...what if she doesn't want to see yo-US? Doesn't want to see us?"

"I just wanna see her… If she tells me to fuck off then I will…"

"Do you know why she left?" Jack asked curious.

"It's not hard to tell she's mad at me… you have to be stupid or blind not to see it."

"Well...you did treat her pretty harshly after the final Splatfest." Jack pointed out. "After any Splatfest for that matter.

"Yeah, I know that's why I'm going to quit too. I'm going to spend more time with gramps. She won't have to worry about 'Squid Sisters' anymore"

"WHAT?!" Jack yelled in surprise.

"I've made up my mind and I'm throwing in the towel."

"But...WHY?!" Jack jumped up off the bed.

"There is no 'sister' if there is only one."

"Marie, no! You can't! Do you know how many people you will upset? So many people love your music. Don't quit." He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I already made up my mind… There isn't anything you can say nor do about it."

"What do you think Callie would say about this?!" He yelled. "How would she feel if she found out her cousin was quitting as well?"

"She left… That says it all. I'm done, Jack."

"But...but…" Jack bit his bottom lip before tears came out of his eyes. "Please don't…"

"This concert is my last one. I talked to my manager already."

"Well...can you at least wait until you hear Callie's opinion when we find her? Please?"

"Sure. I'll listen, but if I can't find her then I get on the next plane to Calamari County."

"Good...good…" He wiped away a few of his tears. "Just...trust me. You'll see Callie again."

"She quitted so Squid Sisters is already dead and in two years or less everyone wouldn't remember anyways."

"Don't say that! Maybe Callie misses being a Squid Sister and she just needed a break or something."

"Makes two of us doesn't it? I'm tired of talking about this. I'm going to bed." She laid down and rolled to her side, "Good night, Jack."

Jack shook his head at her. "Night…" He jumped into bed and turned out the light.

The next morning Jack woke up to see Marie still asleep. He shook his head and went into the bathroom. He took a shower and got ready for the day before getting dressed and walking out the door into the hallway, instantly dialing Callie's number. He walked down the hallway and heard her pick up when he reached the elevator.

"Good morning, Jack. What do you want?"

"We need to talk. Now."

 **Author's note: Okay. Here's the next chapter. Sorry about it being so short. Work takes up my writing time.**

 **Thank you The Bowser Monster, alex, jdaly1, nolankphillips, and ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving reviews. Thank you Pizza for leaving a lot of reviews.**

 **Good for you, alex. Good for you.**

 **Alright, everyone. See you next chapter.**


	37. Chapter 36: Unexpected Reaction

Chapter 36: Unexpected Reaction

Callie and Adstrum were sitting in Chase's waiting for Jack to arrive. He told them that he had bad news and needed to talk to Callie right away.

"What do you think the news is?" Adstrum asked curious.

"No idea… I wonder what was so urgent?" Callie rested her head on her hands

"Well, it must be important if he called us this early." Adstrum said before drinking a can of soda and throwing it into a pile of other empty cans.

"Wow that's the fifth can."

Adstrum shrugged before the front door opened and they both looked up to see Jack with a concerned look on his face.

"Jack! Over here!" She waved to him.

Jack ran over and sat down. "Thanks for coming. Um...are we alone?"

"Chase is out getting some errands done and no one else is here." Adstrum answered.

"Anyways, what's wrong Jack? You sounded really desperate." Callie asked.

"It's Marie. She…" He saw them both roll their eyes. "Listen! She said she's done. She's going to quit after the concert."

"What?" Adstrum sounded amused. "Is she really?"

"Yes. She said she's going to quit as a Squid Sister. I tried to talk her out of it, but she stood by it." Jack looked down in shame. "I don't know what to do."

"Huh...She's quitting? Heh...don't know how I feel about that. How about you, Callie?" Adstrum looked over at her and saw her looking at her lap. "Callie?"

"Um...Callie?" Jack reached toward her but saw her get up from her seat. "You okay?"

She didn't reply for half a minute, only standing there. After a while she asked, "Are you certain, Jack?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. She told me she plans on quitting."

Callie pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head back and forth. "Of course she would. Of course…"

"Um...you okay?" Adstrum got up and stepped toward her.

"OF COURSE SHE WOULD SAY THAT!" Callie suddenly yelled loudly, making both Adstrum and Jack flinch backward, Adstrum falling back into the seat. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! OUT OF ANYTHING MARIE WOULD DO QUITTING AS A SQUID SISTER WAS SOMETHING I THOUGHT SHE WOULD NEVER DO!"

Adstrum and Jack looked at each other with looks of fear and confusion on their faces.

"IS SHE STUPID OR SOMETHING?! I CAN'T BELIEVE HER! HOW CAN SHE SAY THAT!?" Callie paced back and forth yelling.

"Um...Callie?" Adstrum sat up.

"WHAT!?" She looked over at him with a look of anger.

He flinched backwards and pressed himself against the window. "Um….you...what's wrong?"

"MARIE'S QUITTING! SHE'S QUITTING THE ONE THING WE DID TOGETHER! SHE…SHE…" Callie sat down on the floor and put her face in her arms. "I need a minute…"

"Okay." He said and looked over at Jack. They didn't say anything but knew what each other was thinking. Neither of them had seen Callie act like this.

"I...I tried to talk her out of it." Jack said after some time passed.

"I know…" Callie stood up and folded her arms. "I just can't believe her. Did she say why she wanted to quit?"

"She said there was no point in there being Squid Sisters if there is only one." He answered.

Callie shook her head. "Does she know how many people she'll upset?"

Jack and Adstrum looked at Callie with raised eyebrows. "Did you think that?" They both asked.

"Um...no…" She sat down in the booth next to Adstrum. "But I had a reason to quit. Marie was kind of abusing me. I just needed a break. And now that I'm starting to get back to performing again she wants to quit."

"Well, what do we do?" Jack quickly asked.

"I don't know…" Callie replied. They all sat in silence for a while. "You two know how Marie and I became the Squid Sisters?"

"Yeah, you two won a talent show and that kickstarted your career." Adstrum answered.

Jack nodded in agreement before looking confused. "How do you know that?"

"I did research." Adstrum replied.

"Well, did you know that I had to do to convince Marie to enter it with me?" Callie asked.

They both looked surprised and shook their heads.

"I had to do her chores for a week!" She replied.

"Oh…" They both said in response.

"And now this! What the fuck, Marie!?" Callie

"Uh...heheh...You know, for how long I've known you, Callie, I've never seen you act like this before." Jack chuckled nervously.

"Come on, you wouldn't be freaking out?"

"I am. But...well, you seem to be reacting more. Why did you react like that?"

"She is ending it all… Everything we worked for…." Callie placed her head in her arms. "I actually want to be a Squid Sister again... I was planning to come back after the concert…"

"You were?" Jack asked with excitement in his voice.

"Yes, but now…"

"I did ask her to wait to see your response when we find you, but I found you so…" He smiled nervously.

Callie sighed. "You tell her that I'm disappointed in her. Tell her that you found me, but refuse to bring her to me, Jack. I don't want to see her until after the concert." She folded her arms.

"Gotcha." Jack nodded and smiled.

"I hope that changes her mind."

"Probably not. But we can hope. Maybe she won't quit." He shrugged. "But what if she doesn't believe me?"

"I don't know, but I don't wanna see her yet."

"Well, I'll let her know how you feel about it." Jack smiled. "So...you guys doing anything today?"

"Not that I know of. No." Adstrum replied before looking at Callie. "You want to do anything?"

"Anything to take my mind off this." She replied rubbing her arm.

"Good idea." Adstrum nodded. "Let's go see if any movies or something are playing. Or we can go hang with Clair and Annabelle. Or Cici if you want."

"Okay, sounds good…" Callie replied as she got up and headed for the door.

"Alright." He followed Callie toward the door, Jack following behind them both.

Adstrum turned to Jack. "Did you know she could get this angry?" He whispered to him.

Jack shook his head. "No."

"Huh…" Adstrum looked back in front of him, a bit scared at what he just saw.

 **Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Seems short again, doesn't it. Thank you The Bowser Monster, jdaly1, alex, and ThePizzaLovingTurtle for reviewing.**

 **Good for you, alex. Have fun.**

 **Alright. Got nothing else to say. Don't know what else to say. See you next update.**


	38. Chapter 37: Anger and Frustration

Chapter 37: Anger and Frustration

Jack got off the elevator and walked toward the hotel room before opening it up to find Marie laying on the bed with a remote in her hand. He walked over to his bed and sat down. "Hey…"

"Morning Jack. Where'd you go?" Marie asked as she flipped the channels.

"I...went to go talk to a certain someone."

"Who?"

He sighed and folded his arms. "Callie." He saw the remote drop out of Marie's hand.

"C-Callie? You found her?!"

Jack nodded slowly. "The first day we got here she called me."

"Oh, I guess that explains why you wanted to look for here separately. Nevermind that, how is she?"

"She's fine, thanks for asking. She was happy to see me again." He smiled. "She seems to have made some friends."

"Good, good. Well I'm glad she's doing well."

"Yeah, she is. But...she wasn't happy about hearing you wanting to quit." He went back to a serious expression.

"Well, whatever… I didn't think she would care."

"I've never seen her this angry before, Marie. She's genuinely peeved about hearing you wanting to quit."

"Hmm? She quitted first. I'm not going to hold this stupid title if this is how it's going to be. If she wants to keep this title she can keep it, but find someone else to replace me."

"DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF, MARIE?!" Jack yelled and stood up. "CALLIE'S UPSET BECAUSE THE SQUID SISTERS MEANS A LOT TO HER! SHE DIDN'T QUIT! SHE JUST...she just wanted a break!" He sat back down.

"It's written as plain as day on her note, 'I quit' and I'm fucking done with this Jack!"

"Marie...Callie wants to come back…" He placed his face in his hands.

"She can come back. I just won't be there. Not anymore."

Jack didn't reply. He pulled out his phone and texted someone real quick.

"I'm going for a walk." Marie got up and walked out the door.

"Fine...have fun…" He saw her walk out the door before he finished the text. He told Callie that Marie wasn't listening and wasn't being reasonable. And he also asked why exactly she quit. He got a response back after a minute or so. He looked at it and saw what she replied with.

"I quit because I needed a break from Marie and her abuse. Where is she now?"

He texted back quickly. "Going for a walk. I don't know where to, though. But she just left the room. Why?" It didn't take long for a response to show up.

"I'll figure this out."

* * *

Callie was pinching her temples, annoyed at Marie at the moment. She was sitting in her dressing room at work with Adstrum, Cici, and Clair with her. Adstrum was sitting on the couch next to her, Clair was arranging the schedule for next week, and Cici was sleeping in a pile of clothing again.

"Zzzz… Zzzz…." Cici moved a bit under the clothes.

"This...this is one of the reasons I needed a break. I can't stand how Marie doesn't listen." She shook her head. She felt her phone vibrate and saw a text from Jack.

"Why did you write 'I quit' on the note when you said you just wanted a break?"

She texted back, "I wasn't thinking straight. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as I could." She put her phone down and sighed.

Clair stopped writing. "It's only natural you were that stressed."

Cici swam out of the clothes and under the door.

"Cici, wait! Where are you going?" Callie asked.

"...Zzzz… Bathroom…." Cici muttered her tentacle curled a bit.

"Oh, well please hurry." Callie smiled and watched the green squid swim off.

"Hmm what do you need from sleepy head?" Clair asked.

"I was hoping to avoid this, but I want her to try and convince Marie not to quit. Marie doesn't know the mistake she's making. I didn't know it…" Callie sighed.

"But the bathroom is over there…." Clair muttered, "That idiot is going downstairs?"

Callie looked at Adstrum. "You mind going to go find Marie and try to talk some sense into her? I was going to send you with Cici, but…"

"I'll find her." He stood up. "But hope she doesn't piss me off even in the slightest bit." He punched his fist into his other hand.

"I think that will be the only way she'll listen at this point." Callie folded her arms.

"Dude… She would hate you both." Clair pointed out

"Just...I don't know…" Callie placed her face into her hands.

"I'll be back, okay?" Adstrum walked toward the door and smiled. "I'll try to keep my cool." He walked out toward the elevator.

Callie started sobbing into her hands. "I just want things to go back to the way they were, Clair. Before Splatfests were a thing."

* * *

Somewhere with a lot of red maple trees. Marie sat alone on a bench.

"Marie…. Why did you call me out… here?" Cici muttered walking toward her.

"I just need another favor. Is that okay?"

"...You know I can't say no….. What is it?"

"I need a ticket to somewhere. I'll tell you more. Come on, let's walk around a bit okay?"

"...Kay…" She took Marie's hand and walked with her.

"I wanna go to Calamari Country after the show, can you get that for me?"

"Okay… is it…. a round trip?"

"No. Just a one way."

"But how will you get back?"

"I won't be… unless I come to see you."

"Oh…" Cici seemed sad, but she didn't know what to say.

"This is important though… I need you to…" She leaned to her ear, "Not tell anyone… No matter how much they beg. Don't tell them about the tickets."

"..." Cici looked away from her but slowly nodded.

"Thank you, Cecilia." She hugged her.

"Who's side are you on, Cici!?" They both looked over to see an Inkling wearing a black heavy jacket with his arms folded looking at them.

"..." Cici looked away from him.

"Who is this? Is he a friend of yours?"

"Yes… I think…"

"Adstrum Tenebris. Friend of Callie and willing to do anything to make her happy. And also very tempted to punch you in the face, Marie. Just to make myself happy." He smiled.

"You and Callie both…" Marie rolled her eyes, " You can, maybe that will make her happy. Cecilia, let's talk about this later okay?"

"What will make her more happy is if you don't quit, brainless." He went into a serious expression.

"I could care less if you hurt me. As for quitting… I doubt you can talk me out of it" Marie put one of her hands on her hip.

"What's it going to take to get you to listen?" He started walking toward her.

"There is no more happiness there. I'm going to find it and move on with my life." She turned away from Adstrum and started walking away.

"Don't you dare walk away from this conversation." He reached out and grabbed the back of her outfit. "You are going to stay and listen."

"Adstrum… let her go." Cici looked at him.

"It's fine. What is it?" Marie turned around.

"I'm going to tell you why Callie quit temporarily and why you leaving is upsetting her so much." He let go and stood in front of her. "You know why Callie quit?"

"It's because of me. Yes, I'm aware. So I'm fixing it."

"It is because of you, but there's more to it. She left because she was tired of how you treated her after Splatfests were over."

"You think I didn't regret it? That is my reason for throwing in the towel. Even if we somehow got back. We can't even look each other in the eyes anymore."

"But Callie wants to come back. She wants to be a Squid Sister again. She wants to talk to you again. But only if you'll listen."

"She wants to, huh? Yeah, sure and you are here why? "

"Oh, you fucking smartass." A demented smile appeared on his face, unnerving Marie. "It's probably because she's afraid or something. I mean, if I was hurt by a family member I would be afraid of them, too."

"Two years, we are already history. She can have the Squid Sisters. I have been doing solos long enough."

"Then wait for Callie for just a bit longer. She wants to be a Squid Sister again." He pinched the bridge of his nose." How many fans do you still have in Inkopolis? How many people tune into the news or come to your concerts in that city?" He asked with an annoyed face.

"They'll move on and forget everything about us. There are many talented kids out there. I'm done waiting, it's time I moved on."

Adstrum reeled back and slapped Marie. "DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF!? WHY ARE YOU SO DAMN STUBBORN ON THIS? ARE YOU EVEN THINKING ABOUT HOW THIS WILL AFFECT OTHER PEOPLE, YOU BITCH!?"

"BECAUSE I KNOW I HAVE BEEN! YOU EXPECT ME TO BE OKAY WITH ME BEING THIS WAY?! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING ABOUT ME! WHAT I BEEN THROUGH WAITING FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS UNFIXABLE! FUCK YOU AND FUCK THIS!" She got up and ran off.

"How do you know it's unfixable!?" He saw her stop. "No answer! Fine." He turned and walked away. "Have fun pissing off a lot of people."

"GOOD IF I PISS PEOPLE OFF THAT MUCH MAYBE THEY'LL KILL ME!" She ran off and disappeared into the distance, tears rolling down her face.

Cici was lost for words, she seem lost and didn't know what to do.

"You coming, Sleepy?" Adstrum looked at her.

Cici looked to the direction that Marie ran off to.

"She'll be back. I'll make sure of it if I have to."

"She is hurting too…" Cici walked away from him, "I wanna help her…"

"That's why she and Callie need to talk it out. And they will after the concert. I'll make sure of it." He waved to her. "Go comfort her if you want. I'm going back to Callie."

"Okay… this may cause many problems… I hope you know this…" Cici ran into the distance.

"I know…"

 **Author's Note: I'm SO sorry about the late update guys. Work was killing me. Well, I have the chapter now. Thank you The Bowser Monster, jdaly1, and ThePizzaLovingTurtle for leaving reviews. Really appreciate them, guys. Again, sorry for the late update. I'll try not to do that.**

 **Well, I think we are nearing the end here. So...Yay? I don't know. I have mixed emotions right now.**

 **Um, some bad news. I am going to a different state for a special thing happening. So I don't know if I'll have time to write. But I will try. I will. Thank you all for reading, and if a new chapter doesn't come out in four days then it's because of my time being taken up. See ya next time!**


	39. Chapter 38: Brave the Storm

Chapter 38: Brave the Storm

Adstrum walked back into Biolumin-Essence after returning from his talk with the stubborn pop idol. He walked up to the front desk and put on a smile. "Hey, Anna. Callie still here?"

"Uh huh, she's upstairs with Clair" She smiled back at him, "Did something happen?"

"So she's still here. Good." He started walking toward the elevator. "Yeah. A lot of stuff is happening. It's stressing Callie and us all out."

"Oh... is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know. You know how to talk a stubborn Marie out of quitting?" He asked as he waited for the elevator.

"M-Marie? I can see what I can do… leave it to me!" She beamed. "Wait… Marie is here? Where do I find her?..."

"Um...okay. I don't know where she went, though. Ask Cici. Wherever that sleepyhead went to." The elevator opened and he stepped on. "So, I'll go see Callie. You...do whatever." He quickly pressed the button to the floor Callie was on.

"I'll do my best!" She ran out of the building, determined.

* * *

As Adstrum walked into the dressing room he saw Clair sitting on the couch next to Callie, hugging her as said idol was sobbing into her hands. "It will be fine…"

"Callie, you okay?" Adstrum ran up and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I want everything to be fine….. I want to go back in time to before Splatfests were a thing…. Marie and I were inseparable back then…" She muttered between sobs. "What happened?...What went wrong?..."

Adstrum sat down next to her and hugged her as well. "Um…" He looked at Clair. "Should I do anything? Or let her calm down on her own?" He asked concerned.

"I don't know… I'm lost too…"

"Um…" He took his hood off and let his tentacles dangle. He took one of Callie's tentacles before wrapping his around it. "Will this hel-?" He winced in pain as he felt her tighten her grip.

Callie wrapped him in a tight hug as she cried into his shoulder.

Adstrum smiled and patted her back gently before looking up at Clair. "Is this good?"

She shrugged at him.

They all sat there without saying anything for a while before Callie looked up at Adstrum. "What did Marie say?"

"She's stubborn. I don't think she wanted to listen. She yelled at me. Made me want to punch her for that." He shook his head. "I tried, Callie. I can try harder, though."

"Not today...later." She hugged him even tighter. "Please stay. Anything else?"

"Okay… um… Well, I'm not sure who's side Cici is on. Found her talking to Marie and agreed to get her a one-way ticket to Calamari County." He shook his head with a frown on his face.

"Cici really loves you two…" Clair pointed out, "Like family she said one time"

"Yeah, but who is she wanting to be more happy?" Callie asked. "I don't want Marie to quit…"

"Well, we can talk to sleepy when we see her again. Don't know where she went to." Adstrum said as he rested his head on Callie's.

Clair's phone rang. "Hello? What's up Anna?... What? You can't find who?... Her phone? Maybe she dropped it there…. In the trash?"

"Oh, I knew I forgot to say something." Adstrum nervously smiled. "Anna said she was going to talk to Marie."

"What?" Callie looked at him before looking at Clair. "What's going on, Clair?"

Clair put the phone on speaker. "Anna wanna run that by us again?"

"I tried to call Cici and I found her phone in the trash can… So um… should I be worried?"

"What?" Callie asked with concern in her voice. "Cici threw her phone away?"

"I mean I guess it happens sometimes…" Anna replied, "She thinks it's part of the wrapper or box and throws it away."

"Um, what?" Adstrum asked confused.

"Doesn't look before throwing trash away so she sometimes throws away things on accident." Clair explained.

"Oh."

"Where are you, Anna?" Callie asked quickly.

"Near a bus stop in the city." Anna answered.

"You found Cici's phone in the trash next to a bus stop?" Adstrum looked at Callie and Clair. "You two find that weird?"

"Yeah… but where could she possibly go?" Clair asked.

"Maybe home?" Anna asked full of hope.

"Cici lives here at work. And she isn't here." Callie replied.

"This bus goes throughout the city's business section. Maybe she went shopping?"

"Maybe…" Adstrum shrugged.

"Okay I'll look there!" Anna quickly hung up.

"Okay…" Adstrum leaned back and looked at Callie. "You feeling better?"

"I'm good." She smiled and leaned against him, her arms and tentacles still wrapped around him.

* * *

Marie and Cici were walking around the stores.

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Marie?" Cici looked up at her.

"I can't take this anymore… This concert… I just can't put my heart in that either… I wanna start over somewhere new… Live a normal life. You know, like you do."

"Heh, I don't think my life is all that normal…. But you know Callie is sad, right?"

"I honestly don't know anymore. I thought she would be happy… I will never make her sad ever again." Tears ran down her face. "We are gonna get replaced someday anyways…"

"Marie…" Cici hugged her, "I don't think this is right…"

"I know it isn't. But what other choice do I have? She doesn't want to see me. So how are the Squid Sisters gonna perform when we are at each other's throats?"

"Callie doesn't hate you…"

"She could have fooled me… It was torture performing without her… To look at an empty booth… FOR TWO YEARS… I… don't wanna do this any more…" She picked up Cici and hugged her, " I don't want this anymore… to stare at a door that Callie never comes through. Why do you think we changed the studio? I was so depressed in there, I nearly lost my mind… I don't wanna perform anymore! I don't wanna be asked where Callie is! I… don't wanna hurt anymore..."

"You are really hurt… about this aren't you?..." Cici hugged her back, "Do you really wanna do this? You are just going to see your family then disappear? How would Callie react? Would you not be doing the same thing?"

The door to the store opened and they both looked over to see a pink tentacled inkling girl looking around. She smiled when she spotted Cici, but was surprised to see Marie.

"Annabelle?" Cici looked at the pink Inkling

"There you are!" Annabelle ran over to them.

"..." Marie wiped her tears with her sleeve.

"You must be Marie. You look pretty!" She smiled.

"Thanks… I guess…" She rubbed her own arm.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. We are just talking…" Cici replied.

"But she's so sad. I really like your music. I heard that you will be performing soon, right?"

"Yes… I guess I am…" She seemed disheartened.

"I heard you will be going away after that concert… Is that true?"

"... Yeah… it is. I can't do this anymore…"

"Oh… I see… But you know if this is your last one… You should at least give it all you got!"

"...what does that matter… anymore? I can't put my heart into something that just torments me…"

"Maybe… but you know a lot of people wanna see you perform… Maybe Callie does too?"

"Maybe if I were performing jumping into a volcano…"

"Come on, just do this one last time…. Please?" Annabelle's eyes sparkled.

"..." Marie looked at Cici, who smiled at her, "I guess… I can try…"

"That's the spirit!" Annabelle smiled.

Marie sighed as she fidgeted with her sleeve.

"Oh I'm Annabelle, by the way. I'll see you at your concert!" She smiled and jumped in excitement.

"Yeah…. See you…" Marie gave her a half hearted smile.

"Come on Cici!" Annabelle took her hand and dragged her away.

"Eh?" Cici seemed confused.

"Let's go home, Cici." Anna exclaimed.

"But…" Cici tilted her head. "But…."

"Come on now." Annabelle ran off with her.

Marie watched them run off and walked back to the hotel.

 **Author's Note: I am so sorry about the late upload. I had this chapter finished and would have uploaded it yesterday, but I got distracted.**

 **Thank you The Bowser Monster, ThePizzaLovingTurtle, and jdaly1 for leaving reviews again. I really appreciate them guys.**

 **Alright. I will try to have another chapter uploaded in the next three days. But if I can't, then it's because I'm stuck in a place without Wifi and can't do anything.**

 **Also, Thank you Apikachua for writing about the final 1/3 of this chapter. You wrote it very well. You are awesome. Alright. See you all next update!**


	40. Chapter 39: Getting Stressed & Prepared

Chapter 39: Getting Stressed and Prepared

It was a Friday morning. A couple of days had passed since the whole Marie quitting freakout had happened. Jack was sitting on the bed in the hotel room helping Marie get ready for the concert tomorrow.

"I guess this is it…." Marie half heartedly muttered.

"I guess so…" Jack replied. "Um, I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No… I guess not."

"Okay." He pulled tighter on the strings of Marie's outfit, tightening it.

"Thanks for the new clothes…." Marie looked at Cici.

"No problem…" Cici muttered on top of her head.

"How tight do you need this, Marie?" He pulled the strings harder.

"Ack! Too much! Too much!" Marie jumped a bit.

"Sorry." He loosened his grip a bit.

"Maybe… you should rest before tonight…" Cici stuck her sucker on Marie's face, "You told me you haven't been sleeping…"

"She's right. The concert isn't until tomorrow." Jack pointed out as he tied the strings together.

"Not today?..." Cici jumped onto Jack's face, "Oops… I missed…."

He grabbed Cici and put her on his head."Well, not for Marie, that is. Other singers and acts will be starting at midnight tonight, but Marie doesn't have to go on until tomorrow night. She is the final act." He told the sleepy squid.

"Yay…" She cuddled his tentacles.

"I'm not tired…" Marie took a deep breath and sighed.

Jack sighed and looked at her. "Marie, you will see Callie at the concert. I promise."

"Yeah, so I can at least tell her good-bye…."

"Don't say that. Please." Jack said shaking his head.

"I mean it..."

"No you don't." He facepalmed. "Please just wait. Let's focus on something else. Like...why are we getting you dressed for the concert when you have one more day to wait?"

Cici jumped off Jack's head and turned back into her humanoid form. She was wearing a fancy flowing dress.

"Cici? Is that you?" Marie rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah… boss lady said I have to or else I'm grounded."

"You actually have-" She reached towards Cici.

"Stop. They are real…" she gently moved Marie's hand away.

"Um, wow." Jack rubbed the back of his head. "You look amazing."

Cici turned pink.

"Um...well, anything else needed to be done?" Jack asked.

"Hehe you are so red Cici…" Marie laughed.

"...Am not…" She was fidgeting with her dress, "Stop staring!"

"Okay. Okay." Jack walked toward the door. "Sorry." He opened it and left.

The two ladies stayed quiet and sat around.

"You seem really tired Marie…" Cici muttered

"I know… Can I talk to you about something?" Marie asked.

* * *

Callie was pacing the living room of her apartment, Clair and Adstrum sitting on the couch watching her.

"Oh...I'm not sure if I'm ready…" Callie muttered as she kept pacing.

Clair was chewing a pencil.

"You are ready, Callie. Don't worry." Adstrum smiled at her.

"You look amazing. Cici really out did herself with everyone's outfits." Clair replied as she sketched Callie.

"Um...thank you, Clair." Callie blushed a bright red.

"Can't believe she made one for Adstrum too. When did she measure you?"

"I have no idea…" He said as he pulled on the collar of his black tux, which had markings matching the one's on Callie's outfit.

"I am staying in the studio so I don't need one." Clair smiled, "You two look like a pair in those… " She winked at them.

They both blushed and Callie smiled over at Adstrum. "You do look good in that."

"Um...thanks." He covered his tentacles. "But how am I supposed to hide my tentacles without my jacket?"

"Oh I think she made you a fedora… or you can call her to make you something else." Clair sketched him into her book.

"Maybe. I might just bring my jacket anyway." He peeked over at Clair's sketchbook real quick.

"If you don't dress appropriately they will kick you out…"

"It's a concert in Carti Ridge, not a royal party. Half the audience will be wearing torn up clothing. And some will be wearing muzzles. And maybe a few will show up nude." He shook his head.

"Guess you wanna stay in the audiences then."

"I'll wear the tux underneath it. I'll take the jacket off backstage." He rolled his eyes.

"Hehe okay" Clair grinned as her chewed up pencil moved on.

"So...we are just trying these on, right? No need to wear them until tomorrow night." Adstrum said.

"That's right. Please tell Cici if you wanna change anything. Maybe she can sew a hood on your tux."

"I'll take the fedora." He got up and headed for the bathroom.

"Callie, what is going to happen at the concert?" Clair asked.

"The plan is that I go on as a surprise act after Marie." She shrugged and nervously smiled.

"Hmm I hear that Marie doesn't look to good… From what Cici says. So what happens if she… collapses? "

"What's Cici been saying?" Callie asked concerned.

"Hasn't been sleeping or eating much. "

Callie sighed. "Why is she doing this to herself?"

"I don't know… I haven't even seen her in person."

"But Anna did. Oh...everything just keeps getting more and more stressful." Callie sat down and put her head in her hands.

"So what should we do now?"

"I don't know. I don't go on until after Marie. And that happens tomorrow night. We could call Cici and tell her to make Marie sleep, but the eating thing I don't know what to do about." She shook her head.

"Okay let me just call her. I left my phone in the office. I'll be back" She put her agenda down and left.

Callie waved to her as she walked out the door, just as Adstrum came out of the bathroom wearing his usual outfit. Blue jeans, red t-shirt, black shoes, and his heavy jacket. "I am back… Where's Clair?"

"Just getting her phone." She looked at Clair's agenda, "She even drew on the cover…"

"Oh, okay." Adstrum sat down and looked at it. "She likes drawing, doesn't she?"

"Yeah I see her drawing on her agenda nearly everyday… I'm kinda curious what she has been drawing..."

"Well, take a look if you want." He said and sat down.

She flipped the agenda to the page Clair had been drawing on moments ago, "Hey it's us sitting together… It's actually very good…"

"Huh, it is. She's good." Adstrum nodded.

She flipped to the next page, "Oh it's Chase. Wow she drew him a lot.."

"Really? Why is that?"

Callie shrugged and turned a couple of pages, "These are mostly him… Oh she drew a boot to his face…"

"Ha!" Adstrum laughed. "That makes sense."

"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Clair snatched her agenda from Callie, her face was bright red.

"I was just curious…. Sorry!" Callie rubbed the back of her head.

"Tucker did it!" Adstrum shook his head. "I mean...Don't yell at Callie!"

"The... who? You aren't supposed to be snooping!" Clair's ears folded back.

"We were curious. Calm down."

"Humph." She hugged her agenda.

"You call Cici, Clair?"

"Yeah, she's on Marie's head. They are just sitting around she says."

"Did you tell her to make Marie go to bed?" Callie asked.

"Marie told me to mind my own business…" Clair sighed.

"Stubborn bitch." Callie said as she facepalmed.

"I'm sure Cici will handle it." Adstrum said.

"She better… If Marie collapses game over. Everything will be cancelled."

"If she collapses I'll make sure she gets back up." Adstrum said with a serious expression.

"You do know that collapses means KO'ed right? Whatever let's just trust Cici. She has her ways."

"Okay. Let's hope Cici can do it." Callie nervously smiled.

 **Author's Note: Alright. Here's the next chapter. It was rushed. So sorry if it seems weird. Alright, thank you The Bowser Monster, jdaly1, alex, Phantaum, ThePizzaLovingTurtle, and Rosie M for leaving reviews. I greatly appreciate them.**

 **I didn't mention you because your review didn't show up until after the chapter was published, alex.**

 **I'm glad you love it, Rosie. Thans for reading and reviewing.**

 **Alright. Next chapter will be here in four days. See you all then.**


	41. Chapter 40: Nervous and Surprised

Chapter 40: Nervous and Surprised

"IT'S THE DAYS YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! WELCOME TO THE CARTI RIDGE MUSIC FESTIVAL!" The MC shouted and was followed by a loud applauding from the crowd.

"We have a great line up for you all today! Give a big hand for…. DJ LEE FISH, SQUID SQUAD, BOB DUB, AND HIGHTIDE ERA! Now, I know what you are thinking. She will be here tomorrow along with some brand new faces! For now please enjoy the show!" The MC left the stage while some applause was going on as the curtains rose to show .

"Callie…" Adstrum quietly muttered. He was sitting with said squid backstage, her tentacles wrapped around him and nearly suffocating him with how tight she was hugging him. She was freaking out a bit over this concert. He and Cici were there to keep Callie hidden until it was her time to get on the stage. And to also act as security. Callie had her tentacles around Adstrum while she had her arms around Clair.

"So much for watching the studio…" Clair twitched from Callie's grip.

"I'm so scared…" Callie crushed Clair who flailed her arms.

Adstrum wanted to say something to reassure her that she would be fine and ask her what was with the sudden stage fright, but he decided to instead take the moment to gasp for air.

"GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!" A white Inkling wearing a crown growled as she struggled to pull a familiar green inkling off.

"H-hey… come on now…" An Octoling with green tipped tentacles tried to calm her partner down.

"YOU BETTER GET THIS IDIOT OFF OF ME!"

"Oh dear…"

Callie noticed Cici had latched onto that squid's head. "Cici?! Get off of her!" Callie dropped the two she was unintentionally strangling, Clair and Adstrum both gasping for air as they fell flat on their faces.

"Zzzz…." Cici was peacefully sleeping on her head.

"I am so sorry! She likes to do this to random people… She's… special…." Callie smiled.

"Hehe… I'm flattered… Zzzz..." Cici muttered as Callie pulled her off the white squid's head.

"Humph! Hold on to your kid next time" The white inkling crossed her arms.

"Oh Pearl…. I'm sure she didn't mean it…" the octoling fidgeted with her headphones.

"SHE WAS CHEWING ON MY OUTFIT, MARINA!"

"It waZzz… really Zzzzalty..."

"WHAT?!" Pearl was going to leap at her, but Marina held her back.

Adstrum walked up after finally getting up from the ground. "Okay. I am back. What are you so freaked out about, Jewel?" He looked at Callie remembering to use her fake name.

Cici jumped at and stuck to the side of his head. She crawled under his hat. "Who?"

Adstrum flicked his hat and muttered through clenched fangs. "You know who Jewel is. Silly Cici keeps forgetting what her name is." He shook his head.

Cici nipped at his tentacle. "That...hurts."

"I know." He winced from Cici's bite and looked over at the Inkling being held back by the Octoling. "Um, may I help you two?"

"Oh no, we are just here to take a look around," Marina rubbed her arm, "We were excited about this big event, and wanted to scope it out…"

"This is our first time in the big leagues! It will be a day to remember, got it?" Pearl proudly beamed.

"Um...good for you." Adstrum said emotionless.

"Rumor has it Marie's gonna leave so it may be our chance to shine!"

"Hey now… That's rude Pearl… That's just a rumor..." Marina pointed out.

"Don't remind me of Marie's choice." Callie muttered.

"Whatever… Let's bounce. there are other things to see" Pearl walked ahead.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Marina ran after her.

"One of them I like a bit. The other reminds me of Marie...who I want to beat to a pulp." Adstrum muttered as he gently shook his head.

Cici shifted and curled up under his hat.

"Hey. I don't think I'll last if you crush me like that…" Clair rubbed her neck, "Hey you sleepy idiot you never told us about Marie. Where is she?"

"Zzz… Zzzz…" Cici snored from under Adstrum's fedora.

"Hey guys." Jack walked up to them wearing dark brown tux with orange accents. "I came to tell you that Marie is asleep in her dressing room. Don't know what Cici did to her, but it worked."

"You…. are… here… Mr. Hero…?"

"Yeah. I came with Marie." He stated. "She told me she needed someone to help her get ready for tomorrow night."

"Oh… right… I jumped on the wrong person…"

"You apparently did, sleepy." Adstrum chuckled as he took his fedora off. He held it upside down before handing it to Jack. "Here's a present for ya."

"Um… thanks…" He looked into the hat at Cici. "Hi." He smiled.

"I'll... nip you... if you are mean…" Cici muttered

"Noted." Jack nodded and carefully placed the hat on his head.

Cici curled up under the hat and slept some more.

"Where is she anyways?" Clair asked.

"I said Marie's asleep in her dressing room." Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry my head's still spinning from not getting enough air..."

Callie stayed quiet lost in thought.

"Hey wait are you gonna tell us or not, Cici?!"

"Hmm?... About?" Cici muttered

"What did you and Marie discuss that day?"

"... Her outfit for today…" Cici's tentacles curled up under the hat. "She wanted an outfit…"

"Whatever you guys are talking about I'm too confused to care." Adstrum muttered as he pulled his jacket hood over his head. He was wearing it over his tux.

"Wait… You already sent that to her…" Clair pointed out.

Adstrum rolled his eyes and looked at Callie. "I wanted to ask. Why are you scared? You've never had stagefright this bad before...that I know of."

"I don't know… I just did… I was just so scared… Maybe because I knew Marie would be here…. I'm just not ready…." Callie bit her bottom lip.

"Yes you are, Callie. Don't say you aren't ready. Just take a deep breath and relax. We're all here for you." Adstrum smiled.

"I mean to see Marie… I just don't know how to feel about that..."

"Like I said. We're here for you." He pulled her into a hug.

Callie smiled and nuzzled into his chest. Cici was peeking from under that hat.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Clair asked. "We aren't on until tomorrow either, so yeah…"

"I guess we just sit down and relax. Keep Callie hidden from Marie." Jack shrugged. "The plan is for Callie to go on after Marie, right?"

"Yep." Adstrum nodded.

"...yes.. That is the plan…" Cici muttered.

"Alright. Well, until then you should practice. Not...not that you need it or anything Callie. Just...um…" Adstrum rubbed the back of his head. "Something to pass the time with."

"That will give me away." She looked up at him.

"Um...I don't know. Not even just humming to yourself?" He rubbed his arm. "I don't know."

"I guess I can." She smiled.

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter guys. But I was tired and unable to focus that well...I promise next will be longer. Okay, thank you The Bowser Monster, MomarieP, jdaly1, ThePizzaLovingTurtle, Phantaum, Guest, and I guess alex for reviewing. And I would like to thank you all for leaving over 100 reviews. I really appreciate it.**

 **Alex, I already described my inkling in the second chapter (third chapter according to Fanfiction). I'm not describing him again. Also, alex, calm down. You are starting to annoy me again.**

 **Thanks for reviewing, MomarieP. Glad you like this fic. And thanks for reading.**

 **Okay, Apikachua would like to say sorry if they wrote Pearl and Marina too OC...That's what they want to say.**

 **Alright. Next chapter in 4 days. I will see you all then with a longer chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing. See ya!**


	42. Chapter 41: Half Hearted

Chapter 41: Half Hearted

Marie was blanking out staring into space as the MC announced the performances happening today. She heard her name come up last and sighed as the door to her dressing room opened.

"Marie? You doing okay?" Jack's voice was heard. "Oh, and are you decent?"

"Yeah… I am…" Marie half heartedly replied back to him.

"Um...okay." He walked in and closed the door behind him. "You ready for tonight?"

"Let's just get this over with…"

Jack walked up and sat next to her on the couch. "Please don't act like that. Just sing your heart out. Please." He patted her back.

She just sighed and stared at the wall.

"Um…" Jack took the fedora off his head and looked into it. "Cecilia, please help me out here." He whispered.

"Zzz… Marie… Remember what you promised me?"

"Yes… I know. I'm sorry." Marie took her out of the hat and petted her mantle

"Um...what promise?" Jack asked. "Or should I not know it?"

"Don't worry about it…" Marie replied.

"Okay…"

"I hear they are selling green tea smoothies Marie… Maybe you should grab some?" Cici suggested.

"Oh that sounds nice. I'll go get some I guess."

Just as she got up to leave the MC came on over the speakers. "Alright, thank you Inkin Park for that wonderful performance. Now everyone, next up are two new performers. So let's give them a nice round of applause. Please welcome to the stage Pearl and Marina!"

The sound of applause was heard as Marie walked toward the drink stand with a mask on.

Cici turned back into her humanoid form and sat on the couch. She seemed to be thinking about something.

"What's on your mind, Cici?" Jack asked.

"... Marie is leaving… after this isn't she?"

"She won't after she and Callie talk." He replied. "Callie won't let her."

"She wants me to go with her…"

"Oh…" Jack bit his bottom lip. "Well...um…"

"...I don't know… how to feel about that…"

"I know she's got good intentions in mind, but Callie wants to come back. Marie can't quit." Jack muttered. "Well, what reasons do you have for going with her?"

"She's my friend… but Callie is also my friend…" Cici muttered, "But Callie seems pretty happy here… Marie is so miserable though…"

"They are both my friends too. I just want them to make up or something." Jack sighed. "I really hope they talk it out tonight." He shook his head. "No, they will talk it out tonight. They have to."

"Marie says she wants to run away right after her performance…"

"We can't let her." Jack looked at the sleepy squid. "Callie goes on right after her."

"She told me to wait backstage."

"Stall her. She needs to stay." Jack shook his head. "Why is she so stubborn on this?"

"What should I do?"

"Stall her. Anyway you can. Grab onto stuff and refuse to let go because you are too tired or something." He shrugged. "Just however way you want to stall her."

"...oh… I hate this…"

Jack gently pulled her into a hug. "Me too."

Cici turned pink and reluctantly hugged him back.

"Oh...sorry." Jack slowly let go.

"It… was… nice…" She glowed red.

Jack smiled at her. He tried to hug her again but the door opened and Marie walked in with a drink in her hand. He sat up straight and looked at her.

"This is really nice. Thanks for letting me know about this." Marie stopped a bit when she saw Cici glowing. "What, did you wet yourself?"

"N-no!" Cici puffed her cheek.

"Heh, whatever Cici…" She petted her head.

"Heheh…" Jack nervously laughed as he scooted over to let Marie sit down.

Marie sat down and sipped her green tea smoothie.

* * *

Multiple hours passed and quickly became 8:00, Marie's turn to go onstage. As she walked toward the stage, Callie and Adstrum watched her from afar.

"Well, you go on after her, Callie. I wonder how she'll react to seeing you perform." Adstrum smirked.

Marie seemed sad as she walked on stage, but she put on her usual expression after taking a breath.

Callie sighed. "I need to talk to her."

"Hello everyone! Thanks for coming tonight!" The spotlight revealed Marie in a green silky kimono with pink markings and wore Callie's head piece with a ribbon tied to it, "Marie from Squid Sisters joining you live!" Her voice cracked a bit. "What are we waiting for? Let's get this started..."

The music starts off with a slow and steady beat as she started with "Tide Goes Out". The crowd clapped and waved glow sticks to the beat. Her green kimono's sleeves followed her every slow and even movement. Her ribbons painted trails in the air as she spun around.

Callie smiled as she watched Marie's performance. "She's still a great dancer. I want to perform with her again."

"If you say so." Adstrum had his ears plugged.

Marie finished of with a bow. She cringed a bit when she heard the next one start up. She slowly stood up again. She was clearly sad, but smiled to hide it. Maritime Memory started playing and she sang only her parts of the song so nearly half the song was just instrumental. She put on a mask halfway through it.

Tears formed in Callie's eyes as she heard the song. "I miss her too…" She wiped them away. "But she needs to know how her actions hurt me. I just hope she will listen."

As the performance went on her mask she put on slowly broke away from her. She was crying as she danced now. The audience stopped and started muttering.

Callie reached toward her cousin from her seat, but pulled back. "She's upset. But I need to wait."

"Stick to the plan, Callie." Adstrum muttered as he put an arm around her.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I can't do this anymore…" Marie admitted through her sobs.

"Um...I think Marie is done." The MC's voice came over the speakers. "Give her a hand for coming tonight, everyone."

The audience clapped as Marie ran quickly away. Jack was waiting for her backstage and tried to comfort her.

"Alright Callie, it's time." Adstrum gently patted her back and lead her to her starting position.

"Okay." She sniffed and shook her head. She wiped away her tears and turned into a squid, getting herself ready to superjump.

Marie grabbed Cici. "I can go now, right? Our promise is completed."

"Come with me." Cici took her hand, "I told you to stay with me until it's all over."

"Please Cici… I wanna go…"

"You promised or I'll cancel those tickets."

"Please just wait, Marie." Jack smiled at her. "You'll want to."

Cici took Marie and Jack's hands and pulled them both to the audience. Her tentacles glowed bright green to show Callie where Marie was.

Callie saw the green glow through the curtain and smiled.

The MC walked onto the stage with a mic in hand. "Alright, now I know Marie was the last act of tonight." The audience all simultaneously groaned. "BUT...I might have lied. We have a surprise performer tonight!"

Jack smiled as he waited for the curtains to open.

Cici jumped onto Jack's head as a brightly glowing squid.

"Our surprise performer hasn't been seen for almost two years." The MC announced.

Marie's attention was grabbed when she heard that. She looked up at the stage with wide yet teary eyes.

"She wishes to make a return and decided to do it here. Please give it up for…. CALLIE!" He ran off the stage as the curtains opened.

Callie took that as her cue to superjump straight up. The spotlight shone onto the spot she was just at, leaving the audience confused before she came back down in her humanoid form, wearing her pink and black flowing dress and a huge smile on her face. The audience cheered as the music started up.

 **Author's Note: A chapter a day early? Why? Simple. I want this fic to be complete before Splatoon 2 comes out. And not many chapters left. Most likely three or so.**

 **Alright, thank you The Bowser Monster, jdaly1, crazysnivy kid, and Hyperink for leaving reviews. I greatly appreciate them.**

 **Why the hell would I feel bad about that being your last review, alex? Good riddance, you annoyance. Your reviews are annoying, childish, and most of the time don't make sense. I'm glad you won't be reviewing after this. And if you do, I can delete them. I've been doing that with every annoying review from you. So unless you leave a mature and well thought out review I will delete your reviews. So think carefully about your reviews from now on. Or don't leave one at all.**

 **Alright. Expect another chapter really soon. Likely tomorrow. Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!**


	43. Chapter 42: The Moment of Truth

Chapter 42: The Moment of Truth

Marie was shocked at first before she smiled, but her guilt ate her heart. She placed her face back into her hands before feeling a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jack smiling at her.

"Told you you'd see her again." He replied. "Now you take your chance to talk to her when she finishes singing."

"She doesn't want to talk to me… I know she doesn't…"

"Yeah, but I can tell you want to talk to her. And she may not want to talk to you, but she needs to." He rubbed her back.

"... no it's okay…. I'll be gone after this… Right Cici… Our deal start after…"

Jack shook his head. "Sorry Marie. But you and Callie won't be leaving until you two talk. Cici and I are making sure of that. And so are a few other people."

"Humph… What's the point? We are fried, cooked, toasted..."

Jack smirked and shook his head again. "Just stop complaining and watch your cousin perform, okay?" He looked back at the stage.

"..." Marie pulled on her tentacles before reluctantly looking at the stage. She lightly smiled at seeing her cousin perform.

The beat of 'Bomb Rush Blush' sounded through the speakers as Callie brightly jogged in place. Her dress shined and sparkled in support as she happily bounced around. She was like a ribbon dancer as her dress mimicked her every move. The audience clapped and jumped to the beat. She twirled one last time and struck a pose as the song ended.

Adstrum leaned against the wall backstage, smiling at Callie. "Callie's back. You go, girl." He lightly laughed.

The audience clapped and cheered as Callie bowed. The music then started up again as the beginning to 'Calamari Inkantation' played.

Marie smiled to herself and looked away into the distance. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked at Jack.

"You should probably go backstage and wait for her. If you want to that is."

"I'll be a nuisance… Like I always was… I just wanna go after she's finished."

"Alright. Then watch her perform and approach her when she's done. You aren't going to leave until you two talk."

"I'm telling you… She doesn't wanna to talk let alone see me." She sighed and stared off into the distance again.

"She does want to see you." Jack shook his head and looked back at Callie. "Just watch her already."

"..." She looked doubtful while counting stars in the sky.

"Enjoying the show, Cici?" Jack asked.

Cici was "sleeping" cuddling Jack's tentacles.

"Nevermind." He smiled and gently petted her mantle. She opened one eye and wrapped one of her tentacles around his.

Callie danced more boldly to the guitar. Her dress seemed to acted like fiery ripples that followed her fast and pulsing movement. She ended with her famous Squid Sister pose.

The audience went into an uproar as they cheered and clapped for her. Callie smiled widely and bowed. She waved as she walked backstage.

Marie stood up just rubbing her arm. She felt Jack's arm go around her and start leading her toward the backstage.

* * *

"Pardon my language but Callie, you were fucking amazing!" Adstrum yelled with a smile on his face.

She smiled widely and pulled him closer. His eyes went wide when he felt her lips on his. She wrapped her arms behind his neck as he stood there unsure of how to react. She pulled herself back a bit and tightly hugged him. "Thank you so much, Adstrum..."

"Uuuhhh…You're welcome, Callie." He smiled lightly as he stood there unmoving with a red face. He felt her let go and heard her giggle.

"Please let go of me….Jack..." Marie tried to get away.

Adstrum and Callie both looked over to see Jack, Cici, and Marie standing there. Callie's face turned pink while Adstrum's turned redder.

Marie pulled herself free, but just keep her eyes to the floor.

Callie looked at her cousin and scowled for a moment before taking a deep breath and relaxing a bit. "Hello Marie."

"..." Marie stayed quiet as she bit her lip.

"What wrong? Cat got your tongue or-MMF!" Adstrum was interrupted when Cici jumped onto his face.

"Let them talk. Don't say anything." Jack said as he lead Adstrum a bit away.

The two cousins stood there in silence for a full minute before Callie broke the silence. "How have you been?"

"...Awful…" Marie replied still staring at the floor.

"Guess you know how I felt when you insulted me and bossed me around." Callie folded her arms.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore… I'm quitting…"

Callie held her hand up. "I'm going to stop you right there. Why? Tell me exactly why you are quitting?"

"We are gonna be like this from now on… There is no more happiness here… Just hatred between us."

"I don't hate you, Marie. I'm just hurt." Callie started walking toward her.

"You are because of me. So I'll put an end to it… I don't want this anymore…"

"And I don't want you to quit. We started this together. I realized I might have overreacted, but what would you have done in my shoes? I just want to know...why? Why did you act like that after Splatfests? Why when you won you took it for granted and when I won you refused to talk to me?"

"I have no right for what I did and I was wrong. I'll make sure it won't happen again… I-"

"Don't say it, Marie." Callie shook her head. "I hate hearing you say that. Just...please don't…"

"... then I guess we are done here then…." Marie turned around.

"No! Marie, please just listen!" Callie grabbed her and spun her around. "I want to come back. I want to hang with you again. I just...I'm afraid you'll start being mean again. I don't want that. I want us to be the Pre-Splatfest Squid Sisters again." A tear fell from Callie's eye. "I haven't completely forgiven you for bullying me, but...I've started to."

"I can't forgive myself either… I wanna punish myself by going away."

"It wasn't your fault for acting like that, though." Callie reeled back to slap Marie, but put her arm down. "Stop saying that you'll leave. Please."

"That's bull shit and you know it… Nobody told me to act that way… I just…. did."

"It wasn't your fault. It was the Splatfests…" Callie pointed to Adstrum. "He's walking proof that Splatfests change people."

"Get off my face!" Adstrum yelled as he slammed his face into a wall, but Cici jumped out of the way and landed on his head.

"Yeah, he hates me too." Marie replied.

"He and a bunch of other people as well, but that's not the point. There are people that hate me too." She pointed to Adstrum again. "He used to be a fun and kind guy. A bit of a bad mouth but that didn't hurt anyone. But when Splatfests came along he changed. No longer was he a fun loving inkling. He was a violent and angry person bent on winning. And he hated himself for how he acted during them."

"..." Marie sighed

"And the final Splatfest broke him. He left Inkopolis because he couldn't stand living there anymore. He said he tried to play in the turf wars, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He's the reason turf wars are so violent in this city. He changed them just as the final Splatfest changed him. Does this sound familiar?" Callie raised an eyebrow.

"If Splatfests go away then problem solved… So it should be the problem's job to get lost."

"Splatfests won't stop...but…" Callie sighed. "Why says we have to host them? We can perform during them but if we don't pick a side then what will we argue about and get angry over?" She suggested.

Marie rubbed her arm doubtful.

"Marie, please don't quit. I want to come back. I want to be a Squid Sister. I miss singing with you." A tear fell down Callie's face. "Please. I'm sorry for quitting...I just needed a break from the bullying." Callie was trembling with her hands on her cousin's shoulders.

Tears fell from Marie's eyes. She just broke down and started sobbing. She wrapped her arms around her cousin and cried. Marie held her tight as she cried into her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry!" She repeated it over and over.

Callie patted her back. "I forgive you...a bit more. It's going to take time but…" She started sobbing into Marie's shoulder. "Thank you for the apology. I've been needing to hear that."

"I'll give you some space… Maybe just a short break… I really need it… I just wanna see gramps..."

Callie started to sob louder. "I do too! I miss him!"

Adstrum, Jack, and Cici watched as the two cousins cried for a while.

"Um...Should we get them something? Anything?" Adstrum asked.

Cici turned back into her humanoid form, smiling. "Shut up."

"What? I'm just asking if you think they need anything? Like a drink or a pillow or...I don't know… A hug?" He placed his head in his hand.

"Let's just let them be…. You would kill Marie..."

"No I wouldn't. I would just punch her." Adstrum replied. "In the face." He muttered the last part.

"Yeah, no."

"Marie?" Callie sniffed.

"Yes, Callie?" Marie looked at her.

"Can I come with you to see Gramps?"

"I'm sure Cici can set it up..."

"Yay…" Callie smiled and let go of her cousin. She wiped her tears away.

Marie smiled back at her and sat down on a nearby bench.

"Um, Marie. You still going to quit?" Callie asked.

"No, but I'm still using my ticket for a vacation. Maybe with Cici."

"Sounds fair. I took a break. You are taking a shorter one." Callie let out a small laugh.

"What about Mister Hero? We can just leave him here right?" Cici asked.

"I'll be fine. I want to spend some time with Callie again anyway." He replied.

"Oh…" Cici seemed slightly disappointed, but acted like nothing.

"Cici you are turning red…" Marie teased.

"What?! YOU ARE IMAGINING IT!" Cici glowed pink as she puffed up her cheeks.

Everyone laughed for a bit until Jack said something that caught their attention. "Wait, Marie. Didn't you tell your manager you were quitting?"

"Oh no…" Marie covered her mouth.

 **Author's Note: And there's the chapter you've all been wanting...I think. Welp, hope you like it. Still more chapters after this. Like two more. Anyways, thank you The Bowser Monster, jdaly1, crazysnivy kid, and alex for reviewing.**

 **That wouldn't be disturbing, alex. That just means she wants Adstrum.**

 **Alright. I know it wasn't four days but I'm going to "complete" this fic before Splatoon 2 officially comes out. So enjoy the chapter and I will see you tomorrow!**


	44. Chapter 43: Not Over Yet

Chapter 43: Not Over Yet

"Marie!" A male voice yelled from said idol's phone. "I was just about to call you."

"Hey Tom. I wish to take back my 2 weeks notice…" Marie rubbed her arm.

"Oh, you're not quitting anymore?" Tom's voice sounded curious and slightly disappointed. "Well, I could find something for you to do…" He muttered silently.

"...W-what do you mean?"

Callie and company were listening in and Callie got a scared look on her face.

"Um, well...I think I would have done this anyway if you weren't planning on quitting, but...well...Look, I'm sorry to say that…"

"...I'm fired right? I get it…." Marie bit her lip.

"No, no...Not fired...Just...your contract is over with me. You won't be performing anymore, but I could find some work for you…"

"You are an asshole… anyways…. I'm sure Callie thinks so too.."

"What?" Tom sounded surprised. "You found her?"

"I did but it doesn't matter now…"

"Can I see the phone, Marie?" Callie walked up to her cousin.

"Here." Marie handed her the phone and sat down with her face in her hands.

"Thank you." She took it and held it to her ear. "Hey Tom. Remember this voice?"

"Callie! So good to hear your voice again!" Tom excitedly shouted. "Probably sad to hear that the Squid Sisters are done, huh?"

"No. I'm mad. What reason do you have to fire Marie? It better be good." Callie folded her unoccupied arm aver her chest.

"I'm not firing her...just...replacing her."

"What?"

"I came to Carti Ridge to watch over Marie's performance and also find any new talent. Found two girls that caught my attention and when I saw Marie's breakdown I knew she was done." Tom shrugged.

"What!? Where are you!? I want to talk about this face to face, you sleazy eel!" Callie yelled into the phone.

Adstrum leaned over to Jack. "There's the rarely seen anger again. I'm kind of scared."

"Me too." Jack nodded.

"It's…. All my fault…." Marie muttered from her hands.

"Woah, calm down Callie. I would love to see you again, but not when you act like this. Maybe when you calm down we can meet somewhere. You can pick the place if you wish." Tom's voice said through the phone.

Callie took a deep breath and sighed. "Tonight at Chase's. 10:00 PM." She turned to Adstrum, who nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Can we really not think of other places to meet with people?" Adstrum asked himself as he dialed his friend's number.

"Sounds good, sweetheart! See you there!" Tom hung up and Callie turned to Marie.

"Well...We're going to talk with him. Hope he's reasonable." She nervously smiled.

"Th-this is all my fault…"

"No, it's not Marie. It's mine." Callie shook her head. "We'll figure this out. Don't worry."

"Alright, I got us a late night table!" Adstrum shouted as he hung up.

"Thank you, Adstrum." Callie sat down and put her face in her hands. "Oh boy…"

* * *

Tom hung up and turned to look at the two girls standing in front of him. "Sorry about that, ladies. Just need to meet up with my old idols to discuss some things. You can come with if you wish. It's going to happen at a restaurant, so if you are hungry…" He shrugged.

"You sure we won't be a bother? I feel kinda bad…."

"This is our big break! We should be loud and proud!"

"Oh, it's fine. I'm sure they'd like to meet you two." He smiled.

* * *

"Thanks again for this, Chase." Adstrum shook his friend's hand as they were seated in a large booth.

"My pleasure. Anything for the Squid Sisters." He smirked and walked away.

"Can I beat his ass?" Clair glared at him.

"You can later. Thanks for meeting us here, Clair." Callie smiled and hugged her.

"We're best friends. Of course I'll be here." She returned the hug.

Marie was spacing out and depressed again.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Jack patted her back as they sat down. "It will be okay."

Cici peeked from under Marie's hat and gave her a squid hug.

Callie sat down next to Adstrum and started playing with her tentacles. "Man, I come back after so long and it was for nothing."

"Don't count on it." Adstrum smiled. "I have an idea."

They all sat in silence for a moment before the front door opened and in walked a Moray Eel wearing a grey business suit and black tie. He looked over and smiled at seeing the two people waiting for him. Callie and Marie both scowled back. He walked over and behind him came two familiar faces belonging to none other than Pearl and Marina.

"What are they doing here?" Callie asked the eel as he stood next to the table.

"I hope you don't mind but I invited them along. I thought you'd like to meet the people replacing you two." Tom smirked.

"We've met them." Jack said emotionless.

"One of them I like. The other...I think I somehow hate more than Marie here, which is shocking." Adstrum chuckled.

"...Hi…." Marina gave them a shy friendly smile.

"Humph." Pearl crossed her arms.

"Well, shall we discuss some things over a meal?" Tom smiled and took a seat across from the Squid Sisters. "I'll happily pay for...75% of the bill."

"You'll pay for it all. You have the money." Callie said as she handed her menu to Marie. "I already know what I want."

"... I'm not hungry…" Marie handed it to Jack.

"Okay. I'm going to get what I got last time." He held the menu toward Marie's hat. "You want anything, Cici?"

"Maybe a milkshake… chewing is too much work…" Cici replied.

"Alright. Um…" He held the menu out before setting it down in front of Clair.

"Well, I know what I'm getting." Tom smiled and looked over at Pearl and Marina. "You two want anything?"

Marina looked guilty. "Um, no thanks…"

"How about you, Pearl?" He asked the white tentacled inkling wearing a crown.

"I guess just fries is fine" Pearl replied.

"Okay, guess I know what to write down for you guys." Chase said as he wrote down a few orders.

"When did you get over here?" Adstrum asked.

"I walked over when these three walked in." He replied while pointing at Tom, Pearl, and Marina. "So the usual for you? And a Catfish burger for you...Callie?" He sounded unsure of Callie's name.

"Yep. Thank you." She smiled for a moment before folding her arms and frowning at Tom.

Cici jumped onto Chase's head. "...Yay…"

"I know what to get you, Sleepy. You know, there was this girl that came her multiple times that looked like you, Callie." Chase said.

"She is the same girl, genius." Adstrum smirked. "Jewel was Callie the whole time."

"Callie is…. Callie. You were just... too slow…" Cici yawned.

"We all know, you sleepy idiot…" Clair sighed.

"Huh...that's...cool." Chase stood there unmoving lost in thought.

"You can focus on your job now…."

"Oh, sorry." He shook his head. "Um, I already have an order of fries for her." He pointed to Pearl. "And I know what Adstrum, Callie, and Cici want. What about you?" He pointed to Jack.

"Steak and a lemonade. Medium cooked." Jack replied.

"Okay. And you?" He looked at Marie.

"No thank you…." Marie replied.

"Just some Matcha green tea for her…." Cici poked Chase's cheek.

"Alright." He wrote it down. "And you sir?"

"I'll have an order of ribs and a water." Tom smiled and placed his menu on top of the others.

"Okay." Chase wrote it down and smiled at Clair. "And what would you like?"

"I'll just have a smoked salmon salad and herbal tea." Clair replied as she sketched some stuff in her agenda.

"Great choice." Chase wrote it down and took everyone's menus before walking away.

"So, what do you wish to talk to me about?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, the fact that you are replacing us with them." Callie pointed at Pearl and Marina. "I have nothing against you two. It's Tom I'm mad at."

"I knew it was a bad idea to come…." Marina muttered quietly, fidgeting with her tentacles.

"It's fine." Pearl whispered back. "I think it's interesting."

"...Oh…"

"I'm shocked you don't have a comeback or something." Adstrum looked over at Marie. "You don't have anything to say to the eel?"

"...No…" Marie muttered.

"Well I do." Callie folded her arms. "What reason have you got for replacing us?!"

"You two are old news, sorry to say." Tom shrugged. "I needed new stars to shine. New and fresher faces. These two are them." He pointed to Marina and Pearl.

"Humph you are an idiot." Clair rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm just taking advantage of the changing Inkopolis. New fresh location call Inkopolis Square, newer and fresher turf war players…" He pointed to Pearl and Marina again. "New idols for people to look up to."

"... I guess it's over…. " Marie replied.

Adstrum sighed. "No it's not." He looked over at Tom. "Do you have the Squid Sister's contract with you?"

"Um, no. I have it back in my car." Tom said while pointing at the parking lot. "Why?"

"Go get it." Adstrum smirked. "I have a proposition."

"Go get it now?" Tom asked confused.

"Yes. Now." Adstrum said dead serious. He watched the eel stand up and walk out the door.

"Adstrum, what are you doing?" Callie asked.

He looked over and saw her and Marie looking at him with curious expressions. "You'll see." He smiled. "The Squid Sisters aren't over."

Cici jumped onto Jack's head, "I caught you…."

"Yes you did." Jack smiled and petted her mantle.

Tom came back in after a few seconds with brief case. He sat down and opened it up, pulling out a stack of papers. "This is it. What about it?"

"How much?" Adstrum asked.

Callie's eyes went wide and Marie looked up with a surprised look on her face.

"Um...what?" Tom asked.

"How much for it? I want to buy the Squid Sisters contract." Adstrum replied.

The table went dead silent as everyone looked at him with either shocked faces or looks of disbelief.

"... Can I help?" Cici raised her tentacle

"Nah, I've got it." He smiled.

"I wanna keep Mr. Hero then..."

"...Wait, what?" Jack shook his head and looked confused.

"Hold on. Hold on." Tom said aloud. "Who are you and what makes you think you can afford this contract?" He lightly chuckled.

"It's better than having a moron hold onto it." Clair snapped.

"Clair, calm down." Adstrum laughed and looked at Tom. "I am Adstrum Tenebris. The owner of the Carti Ridge Turf wars. How much is their contract?"

"Um...what? Um…" Tom was caught in a loop of confusion.

"Um...Am I interrupting anything?" Chase asked with a platter of food.

"No. Good timing, actually." Adstrum took his plate of chicken tenders. "Let's discuss it over dinner." He smiled at the eel.

* * *

After about an hour of eating and discussion Adstrum and Tom were shaking hands over the deal.

"So it's settled. I'll sell you the contract as long as you play some of Pearl and Marina's music in your turf wars." Tom said with a smile.

"As long as you still play Squid Sister songs during some of the turf wars in Inkopolis." Adstrum sternly said.

"I'll arrange something with the Inkopolis Turf War committee." The eel replied.

"Excuse me…" Marina spoke up, "um… I don't want any hard feeling between us… So I wanted to ask if can we maybe…. be friends?"

"Huh?" Marie looked at her as Marina held out her hand.

"I would love to!" Callie grabbed Marina's hand and shook it excitedly.

"Heh, whatever. It's cool. It's nicer this way anyways." Pearl smirked.

"Thank goodness… I thought you guys would be furious." Marina smiled.

After a few minutes Tom, Pearl, and Marina walked out of the restaurant while Adstrum stood there with Callie and Marie's contract in his hands.

"So…" Callie nervously smiled and walked over to him. "You are our manager now…"

"Nah. I'm not going to be your manager. I don't wanna." He replied.

"What?" Callie's eyes went wide.

"Then why did you do it?" Marie asked.

"Because I didn't want you guys to be out of a job." He smiled and looked over at the firefly squid sleeping on Jack's head. "Hey sleepy, how would you like to be Callie and Marie's manager?"

"... Okay…" Cici replied, "How much do you want?..."

"None. Happy birthday for whenever it happens." He held the contract out to her.

"January… 12th…" She took the contract.

"You are acting way too chill about this." Adstrum smirked and looked around the table.

"If you give her tea she will likely be more active…" Marie snickered.

"No…. lies…." Cici muttered, "I'm happy…"

Adstrum rolled his eyes before he was tackled into a hug. He fell to the floor and felt Callie on top of him. "THANK YOU!"

"You're welcome." He smiled and stood up as he felt her wrap her arms and tentacles around him.

"Make sure you use protection…" Marie smiled

"WHAT?!" Callie and Adstrum both said in unison and blushed.

"Marie, shut up…" Callie muttered as she hid her face into Adstrum's shoulder.

Marie smiled and rested her head on her hands.

"I'm so glad this ended well…" Clair leaned against Chase. "What?! Where did you come from?!"

"I was here the entire time for that discussion to make sure Adstrum didn't say something stupid. Surprised he didn't." Chase replied.

Clair turned pink and walked away from him.

"Um...did I say something wrong? I didn't even compliment her." He raised an eyebrow.

"So...how is this gonna work?" Jack asked aloud. "Is Callie going to come back to Inkopolis? Will Marie have to move here as a result of the contract purchase?"

"I can get you an apartment…" Cici suggested, "I don't know what managers do… but I'll do my best…"

"Okay...Well, how's this all gonna work then?" Jack asked again. "How-?"

"Jack…" Callie looked over at him. "Please stop talking and don't ruin this. Just be happy the Squid Sisters are back."

"Um...Okay…" He rubbed the back of his head.

"So...what now?" Adstrum asked.

"I can get you an apartment too…" Cici muttered on Jack's head as she hugged him with her tentacles.

"Um, thanks for the offer. But I need to think about it. But I'll most likely take it." He petted her mantle again.

She seemed happy.

"Let's go spend time together. We can worry about the other things later." Callie smiled and took Adstrum's hand.

"Um, okay. What do you wanna do?" He asked as she pulled him toward the exit.

"Go on a date." Callie beamed.

"Okay…..wait, what?" Adstrum blushed as he was pulled out of the restaurant.

 **Author's Note: Technically one more chapter after this, guys! Look forward to it. Alright, thank you The Bowser Monster, ThePizzaLovingTurtle, The Anon Train, and jdaly1 for leaving reviews. I'd also like to thank you all for more than 10,000 views on this fic. It means so much to me. Look forward to the finale chapter tomorrow. See ya!**


	45. Finale: Epilogue

Finale: Epilogue

"Alright. I got it." Adstrum said as he walked out of Callie's apartment with a box of her belongings.

"Thanks, Adstrum." Callie smiled and followed him.

"I find it weird that your cousin chose to buy a house right next to mine." He said as he placed the box in the back of a moving van.

"Well, she wanted to live next door to me." Callie replied. "At least she isn't living with us."

"I would not allow it. I'd kick her out." Adstrum muttered as he walked back toward Callie's apartment. "So, Marie and Jack are back in Inkopolis getting their stuff together, right?"

Callie nodded. "Jack's moving into this apartment here, in case you are wondering."

"I was, actually. You think Marie will get used to Carti Ridge?"

"She'll be fine…. Maybe…. I don't know… We will be busy though. Cici set us up with a world tour."

"That quickly? Seriously? How?" Adstrum nearly dropped another box at hearing that.

"I… Don't know…. She says she paid for all of it… and we leave in a week or two." Callie put the box down and went to grab the next one.

"Oh boy." Adstrum smirked. "That will be fun."

"She says if you wanna make some money you can work as a security guard." Callie smiled as she lifted the next box.

"As long as I get to spend time with you." He smiled and set the box down in the van.

"Alright one more box to go! I got it!" She ran over to grab it. She slipped and fell face first into the box.

"Callie, you okay?" Adstrum ran up to her.

"Stars…. So sparkly..." She seemed dazed.

"Come on, snap out of it." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "It wasn't that bad a fall, was it?"

"Surprise attack!" Callie kissed him and hugged him.

"You sneaky little-MMF." He was cut off as Callie's lips connected with his.

Callie broke the kiss, smiling brightly.

"Heh. You look happy." Adstrum smiled back.

"I love you." Callie rested her head on him.

"I love you too." Adstrum wrapped his arms around her. "Say, whatever happened to your modeling job? You quit it or….um…"

"Cici actually quit because she's now the full time manager for Squid Sisters."

"Oh...so you quit alongside her?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I missed this and Biolumin-Essence shut down so everyone was let go."

"Oh no, really? That's sad."

"Now Cici is there in her chest by herself, but she's doing fine."

"Maybe we should have her move in with Marie. Or maybe Jack. Not Clair, though." Adstrum chuckled. "That wouldn't work out."

"I'm sure Cici would be a spoiled kid if Clair lived with her. Since Clair likes kids."

"But does Clair like Cici?" Adstrum asked with a smirk.

"She calls it tough love." Callie laughed.

"Of course she does." He shook his head. He stood up and picked up the last box. "I'll take it."

"No! I got it!" Callie tried to take it.

"You lost your privileges." Adstrum smirked and teasingly held it away from her.

"You suck!" She crossed her arms and smiled.

"Love you." He laughed and kissed her as he walked toward the van.

* * *

Quiet snoring came from one of the boxes as Jack picked it up and carried it outside. "C'mon, Cici. Help us out. Or at least don't sleep in the boxes." He rolled his eyes.

"...kay…" She swam onto his head and jumped off to stand beside him.

"Thank you." He smiled and looked over at Marie. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. We have a lot of work to do to get back on top." Marie replied

"And you guys will. Trust me." He smiled and looked at Cici. "I'm surprised you set up a world tour for them. That's impressive."

"We gotta take the narwhal by the horn… and start with a ….Zzzz…" Cici snored as she walked away with a box.

Jack smiled before putting the box in the car and putting his arm around Cici. "This way, sleepy."

Cici opened her eye and glowed bright red. "I-I knew that…"

Marie snapped a picture and snickered. "You two look cute together."

Jack didn't say anything as he rubbed his arm and blushed. "How about you worry about the boxes, Marie?"

"Erase it!" Cici ran to her trying to take the phone.

Marie laughed and ran away from the sleepy squid. Jack just smiled and laughed at the sight. Cici chased her like her life depended on it.

 **Author's Note**

 **Darkstar248: Welp, that is it. The finale chapter. I hope you all liked this fic I wrote. Thank you for all the views and reviews. It felt great to write this. Thank you everyone that left reviews. I'm glad you took time to leave them. Um...I just don't know what else to say here. It means a lot to me how many people read and reviewed.**

 **Apikachua: Right? I'm glad we got this far. I know I'm actually talking… Shocking. (Not intended to be a pun). Um… I don't know what else to say...**

 **Darkstar248: Me neither. It just...I don't know...Um...Thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle, The Bowser Monster, .1, and crazysnivy kid for leaving reviews last chapter.**

 **Apikachua: Thank you guys so much for your support. Your criticisms really helped a lot.**

 **Darkstar248: They did. Especially Pizza's reviews.**

 **Apikachua: We finally reached the end.**

 **Darkstar248: Well, yes. Technically this is the end. But we do have two bonus chapters. They're just ideas that didn't really fit in with the fic, but I didn't want them to go to waste. So there will be two bonus chapters after this. They don't further the story. They are just little extras.**

 **Apikachua: But you do get to know more about the characters, I guess… I don't know. But it was fun."**

 **Darkstar248: Not really any new info, but they were fun things to write. You'll see them likely later today or tomorrow. Well...um...anything else you want to say, Apikachua?**

 **Apikachua: OH! If you guys see us around Splatoon 2, feel free to flop with us. Or friend us. I have the same username as my nintendo account.**

 **Darkstar248: Heh. If I see you flop around I won't splat you, but shoot at me and no mercy for you.**

 **Apikachua: You are scary...**

 **Darkstar248: I blame Call of Duty. Anyway, thank you all for your support and for reading and reviewing. You are all awesome! See you all later!**

 **Apikachua: Yup, bye-bye and see you on the battlefield!**


	46. Bonus Chapter 1

Bonus Chapter

 **Author's Note: This chapter would have taken place during Chapter 11: Turf Lessons. It didn't happen for obvious reasons.**

"Do you know the best way to take out a target that's hiding around a corner?"

"Um, I think. Care to show me, though?"

Adstrum reached into the crate and pulled out a Krak-On Roller. "Sure. Follow me." He led her over to another area of the testing range. It had a lot of paths and corners, like Port Mackerel.

"Zzzz…." Cici was clinging on to a sleepy Chase who was quietly watching

"They seem to be having fun." He felt Cici start climbing up toward his head. "Is that your favorite spot to curl up on someone?"

"Zzzz… zzz…. Customer…. In ...front... "

"Huh?" Chase turned and saw that someone was waiting at the front of the restaurant. "Thanks for telling me, sleepy."

"Ello mate… Um yup seem to have a…." Barry pointed Cici, "A hatchling?"

"Hey Barry. Please ignore the sleeping squid on my head. And no, it's not a hatchling. Just an inkling that really loves to sleep. Or she's an insomniac. Or both. I don't really know. Anyway, you here for Adstrum's newest weapon? We finished testing it yesterday."

"Well, uh, yes and no mate… There was a threat note addressed to em so I was a bit concerned… Did something happen?"

"Threat note?" Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great. Who left it?"

"Wouldn't know mate… I walked into shop and there it was… Made up of random printed letters so no handwriting…"

"Alright. You have it on you?"

"Alright here you are mate" Barry handed it over, "Ya know… That little one is pretty cute on ya"

"Shut up, Barry." Chase smirked and took the letter. He went behind the counter and came back with a metal case. "Here's the weapon anyway. Adstrum calls it a Double Barrel Reservoir." He handed the case to Barry."

"...I don't like… this feeling… Someone bad is nearby..." Cici looked in a certain direction

Chase followed her gaze and saw a bunch of angry inklings. "Huh." Luckily they were outside. He calmly walked toward the back door and went outside. He saw Adstrum jump from around the corner and splat a dummy situated there with his Krak-On Roller. "Hey Adstrum, we got another threat letter! And an angry mob outside!"

Adstrum looked over to him. "Again!? *sigh* Let them in and see what's going on! Try to lead them out here!"

"Alright!" Chase went back inside and headed straight for the front door he opened it with a smile. "Welcome! May I help you?"

"Um… hey there…" A squid with a camera walked up to them, "Do you guys know there's a mob? Umm can I please hide in here?"

"Um, yeah. I guess." He led the inkling inside while the mob just stood there. 'What are they waiting for?' Chase thought as the door closed.

"I was following a scoop and then well… they started getting very violent… Oh I think they are waiting for their leader..."

"Leader? Okay, wait, who are they, who are you, and what scoop are you following?"

"I'm following the elusive Ninja squid… I wanna find them and do a report on them… "

"Ninja...squid?" Chase facepalmed. "Who are you talking about?"

"A person that took out everyone during a turf war including their own team. Everyone claims it was a ghost because they were beat up without seeing what did it even on camera!... They leave um… strings behind… so I'm searching to solve that mystery… I found some string here so I been hope to see them."

"Ah, geez." Chase facepalmed. 'What is going on?'

"I can't now that they smashed up my camera."

"... Why… not… use your phone?" Cici yawned

"Because someone stole it."

"I have no idea what's happening right now." Chase looked out the window and thought that he saw more inklings than before. "Okay, what boss are they talking about? I've never heard of this Ninja, and why would they be found here?" He was starting to get annoyed.

"Maybe you are dreaming hehe… wake up!"

Chase's eyes opened and he sat upright in the empty booth. He looked around and saw that everything was fine. No mob outside, no inkling with a camera, and Cici was still sound asleep, but she was sitting on his lap and laying her head on his shoulder.

"What the hell?" He looked at the sleeping squid. "I should have known it was a dream the second you were awake in it." He shook his head as he tried to get up, but couldn't due to the sleeping squid on his lap.

"Zzz…" She nuzzled into him

"You act more like a pet than an inkling, Cici. Good thing you're cute." He wrapped his arms around her and laid back down staring up at the ceiling.

"Zzz…" She hugged him tighter

Chase smiled. He felt his eyes slowly begin to close before passing out into sleep again.

He unconsciously hugged her back tighter as well.

 **Author's Note: Yep. That was a bonus chapter. It's obvious why this went unused in the fic. Well, thank you ThePizzaLovingTurtle, The Bowser Monster, ScorpioBlade, jdaly1, crazysnivy kid, October Autumn, alex, and Guest for leaving reviews.**

 **Got one more bonus chapter after this. See ya then.**


	47. Bonus Chapter 2

Bonus: Fast for a sleeper

 **This chapter would have been Chapter 15: She's awake for a bit.**

Callie and Adstrum had just finished having lunch when Callie got an urgent call from Clair telling her to come to her house right away. They were in Adstrum's car driving toward Clair's home, Callie giving directions on the way there.

"Okay, take a left up here."

"Gotcha." Adstrum turned his car left.

"Okay, her house is the fifth on the left." Callie told him. They parked out front and got out, immediately heading for the door.

Cici could be seen walking away far in the distant. Callie noticed and spoke up. "Oh, hey Cici!"

"...Callie? Oh.. I mean Jewel… Hello. Did…. you want…. something?"

She was about to reply back when Clair opened the front door.

"GET BACK HERE!" Clair ran at Cici with Annabelle looking so confused

"What the fuck is going on?" Adstrum watched Clair run toward Cici. Callie ran after her.

Clair tried to jump at Cici but the sleepy inkling jumped over her.

"It's…. My letter…." Cici muttered, "Marie is... my client and…. Friend…. I think she would like to meet Callie… I mean Jewel… So I'm gonna send... her a picture..."

This made Callie's face go from confused to fearful. "CICI! NO! PLEASE DON'T!" She tried to grab her.

Cici dodged and tilted her head, "She's nice… I swear…"

"NO! You can't send her a picture of me!" She looked over at Adstrum and Annabelle. "Help, please!"

"Okay." Adstrum ran over and tried to tackle the surprisingly fast inkling.

"...Okay…" Cici dodged him. "Why...not?..."

"Because of reasons, Cici." She reached out toward her.

"Okay… bye." Cici seemed to disappear as she sprinted.

"Cici! Listen to me!" She heard a woosh and turned around to see a streak of black ink soaring through the air. She watched as Adstrum super jumped right to where Cici was.

Cici easily dodged and jumped over him.

"This is getting ridiculous." He reached into his jacket, pulled out a Splat bomb, and tossed it ahead of her. "Learn when to stop!" He fired and the concentrated ink landed in her path. She stepped in it and tripped.

Cici opened her eyes and cartwheeled. She shook herself off. She looked back at him. She pulled out a handercheif and wiped her leg. She felt her arm get grabbed and saw Adstrum holding her wrist.

"What is your problem, Cici?" He started dragging her away.

"..." Cici stayed quiet.

He brought her back to Clair's house and saw Callie panicking on the front porch. "I got her!"

"CICI!" Callie got up and approached her. "WHY DID YOU JUST RUN!? WHERE'S THIS LETTER!?" She had a few tears in her eyes.

Cici seemed angry. She refused to speak to any of them.

"You okay, Ca...Jewel?" Adstrum looked at her. Her face showed fear.

"Cici...you can send letters to Marie all you want. Just don't send her pictures of me. Please…" She hugged the sleepy squid. "I don't know if you would understand, but Marie can't see any images of me."

"..."

"Why did you want to send Marie a picture of Jewel anyway?" Adstrum was confused. When he didn't get a response he shrugged. "Fine, act like a bitch and don't talk."

"..." Cici handed her letter and walked away.

The letter was just Cici's bills.

"...Okay, who else feels like a jackass right now?"

 **Author's Note: Welp, that's it. Final bonus chapter. Hope you all liked reading this fic. Thank you The Bowser Monster, jdaly1, and TAWOGfan2000 for leaving reviews.**

 **I got nothing else to say except...wish me luck on thinking of a sequel...thanks for reading, everyone. See you all later.**


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